Israel Deploys Facial Recognition Program, Utilizes Google Photos, in Gaza
The sweeping implementation of a facial recognition initiative is stirring controversy in the Gaza Strip, with the government of Israel reported to have utilized this technology to create a surreptitious database of Palestinian individuals. As disclosed by The Times, this utilization of biometric technology occurred without the informed consent or awareness of the Palestinian populace.
Following the incidents of October 7, Israeli intelligence put this program into motion with two key technological allies: an in-house tool fashioned by Corsight, a firm from Tel Aviv, and Google Photos. The operational goal was the identification of persons linked with Hamas.
The Israeli Defense Forces’ Unit 8200 stepped up surveillance post the October 7 attacks, scrutinizing Hamas’s social media videos, and security footage to identify potential targets. The Israeli military operatives also solicited help from detained Palestinians to identify Hamas affiliates from amongst their community members.
Bragging about its ability to identify individuals even with less than half of the face visible, Corsight became instrumental in Israel’s facial recognition endeavors. It used these photographs to develop a sophisticated tool of identification for Israeli enforcement officers in Gaza. The military further expanded this database by setting facial recognition-enabled checkpoints on primary roads used by Palestinians to flee south. An officer divulged to the Times that the aim was to create a “hit list” of active participants in the October 7th attack.
However, there have reportedly been instances when Corsight’s technology ended up misidentifying innocents as potential Hamas cohorts. Of note is the misidentification of Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet, who was apprehended at an Israeli checkpoint while attempting to travel to Egypt with his family. Abu Toha, according to the military’s system, was a wanted persona. Following a two-day duration of interrogation and abuse, he was summarily released back into Gaza sans an exoneration or explanation.
To bolster Corsight’s endeavors, the military has leveraged Google Photos – a freely available tool. Armed with a voluminous “known persons” database, intelligence officers are making use of Google’s photo search function to identify individuals, even when only a fraction of their facial features are discernible or visible.
Corsight and its investors have been overt in their desire to aid the Israeli military in the continuing strife in the Gaza Strip. Awz Ventures, the Canadian fund that spearheaded Corsight’s finance round of $5 million in 2020, echoed this intention openly. The Israeli military and Alexandria Ashkenazi, the fund’s founder and managing partner, envisaged a halt to what he termed “evil terrorists.”
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Canada Now Allows People to Request Medical Suicide For Autism
The concept of medical suicide has long been controversial given the potential for it to go to some very dark and questionable places – and that is exactly what is happening right now in Calgary, Alberta thanks to Canada’s broken “medical assistance in dying”(MAID) program.
A Calgary judge recently issued a ruling that will allow a 27-year-old woman identified as “M.V.” to receive medical suicide for autism. He lifted an injunction that her father was granted just one day before her assisted death was scheduled to take place in their home.
Justice Colin Feasby of the Calgary Court of King’s Bench acknowledged the “profound grief” the woman’s father would suffer when his daughter dies, but he felt that her autonomy was more important.
(Related: Autistic and intellectually handicapped individuals are now being EUTHANIZED in the Netherlands.)
“M.V.’s dignity and right to self-determination outweighs the important matters raised by W.V. [M.V.’s father] and the harm that he will suffer in losing M.V.,” wrote Feasby in his 34-page decision.
He added that blocking her medically assisted suicide from moving forward poses a risk that she could try to end her life on her own, writing: “An injunction would deny M.V. the right to choose between living or dying with dignity. Further, an injunction would put M.V. in a position where she would be forced to choose between living a life she has decided is intolerable and ending her life without medical assistance.”
“This is a terrible choice that should not be forced on M.V., as attempting to end her life without medical assistance would put her at increased risk of pain, suffering and lasting injury,” Feasby added.
30-day stay issued to give woman’s father time to appeal
However, Feasby also issued a 30-day stay to give the woman’s father time to take the case to an appeals court if he desires.
The woman’s father believes that she is “vulnerable and is not competent to make the decision to take her own life.” He has said that she is generally healthy and her only known diagnoses are ADHD and autism. He asked for a judicial review to be carried out looking into how his daughter was approved for MAID in the first place.
Currently, two doctors or nurse practitioners need to grant a patient approval for MAID in Canada. Two doctors had been approached by the patient, and while one somehow agreed that autism was an acceptable reason for someone to end their life, the other doctor denied the application. Then, she was offered a third “tie-breaker” doctor, who did sign off on the approval. It is this doctor that her father is taking issue with because he believes that he is “not independent or objective”.
This case has also shed light on the shortcomings of the Canadian law in this area. An attorney for the girl’s father, Sarah Miller, said the situation was a “novel issue for Alberta” because the province uses a system that does not have any type of appeals process or review process of people’s approvals in place.
Feasby said that the court can’t review the doctor’s clinical judgment, but it can examine the actions of the patient’s “MAID navigator”, which is a person who works for the health department and helps to coordinate people’s assessments for MAID eligibility.
He also explained that although his decision upholds M.V.’s right to choose a MAID, it does not require her to do so; in other words, she can still change her mind before the procedure takes place.
The fact that the court system and health authorities are putting so much effort into helping this woman die instead of finding ways to help people like her to better deal with the challenges they face demonstrates everything that is wrong with Canada’s system, and people who could have had fulfilling lives if only they got the help they needed are paying the ultimate price for the government’s failings.
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In Russia Mass Deportations of Muslim Migrants Surge After Moscow Terror Attack
There have been widespread reports of mass deportations of Muslim migrants from Russia in the wake of the March 22 terror attack on the Crocus City Hall venue in a Moscow suburb which killed at least 140 people and left hundreds more wounded and injured.
This trend is said to be the result of a significant uptick in raids by authorities on apartments and dorm complexes known to house Central Asian migrants, amid concerns that Islamic radicals could carry out more attacks.
President Vladimir Putin has put blame on Islamic extremists for the major attack which involved four gunmen planting explosives and randomly shooting into crowds; however, he and Kremlin officials also believe the men had assistance from Ukraine or possibly US or other foreign intelligence.
The alleged gunmen, who reportedly tried to escape across the Ukrainian border, are all Tajik nationals. A number of other foreigners have also been arrested in the days after the attack. Washington has said ISIS-K was behind it, while condemning Moscow’s allegations that the US or Ukraine could have had something to do with it.
The regional pro-opposition outlet Meduza hassaid that in the last week of March, St. Petersburg courts “received 584 cases of administrative offenses in connection with non-compliance with migration legislation.”
The report indicated that at least 418 foreigners were then ordered to go to special holding facilities to await expulsion from the country. “Another 48 people must pay a fine and leave the Russian Federation on their own,” Meduza wrote.
In Russia, after the Crocus City Hall mass murder of 143 people by Tajik Muslims, the mass deportations have begun.
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) April 1, 2024
The airport is jammed packed. pic.twitter.com/VRIlNFplXa
An organization of human right lawyers who work in Russia, Perviy Otdel, observed in a statement Friday that in the St. Petersburg region, “Temporary detention centers for foreign citizens are packed, surrounded by special vehicles and buses heading to the airport.”
The Amsterdam-based Moscow Times linked the surge in deportations to the Crocus City Hall terror attack:
The countries where the migrants were being sent to were not specified, though it is known that labor migrants in Russia mostly hail from poor Central Asian countries.
Bailiffs reportedly refer to St. Petersburg’s mass deportations as “Operation Anti-Migrant,” with raids targeting local hostels and apartments. Similar raids were reported in Moscow and other Russian cities.
Anti-immigrant sentiment surged after four gunmen — who were later identified as Tajik nationals — stormed Crocus City Hall last Friday, killing 144 people and injuring 382 in the shooting and massive fire at the popular concert venue.
The backlash against Russia’s sizeable Tajik immigrant community is expected to grow. Recent years have seen over one million unemployed Tajiks enter Russia in search of work.
? Russia: Yesterday Vladimir Osechkin relayed info from FSB sources that an order for indiscriminate mass raids and repressions against Muslims came down in ‘response’ to the Crocus City Hall massacre. Today, the FSB made mass arrests at the Wildberries warehouse in Electrostal. pic.twitter.com/pjr5OkhECN
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 27, 2024
A separate Moscow Times report has found that “Between 2012 and 2018, over 2,000 Tajik citizens joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, making Tajikistan the third highest sender of foreign fighters to the war on a per capita basis.”
The report continues: “Most joined Islamic State, with some taking up key positions, including the group’s War Minister Gulmurod Halimov, who used to serve as head of Tajikistan’s OMON paramilitary police force.” This means Russia’s monitoring of and crackdown on this migrant community is likely only to grow from this point.
EXCLUSIVE: Col. Douglas Macgregor Warns Attack On Iran Would Cause WWIII And Mass Migration
Peruvian President Replaces Six Ministers After Police Raid Her Home
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte replaced six ministers on Monday after they resigned abruptly as she faces a corruption probe related to her ownership of luxury watches, media reported on Tuesday.
The resignations follow a probe launched into allegations of illicit enrichment by the Peruvian leader, who is being investigated over her high-end Rolex watches, as authorities suspect corruption.
Boluarte is being preliminarily investigated for possessing an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since she came to power in July 2021 as vice president and social inclusion minister, and then as president in December 2022.
Police and prosecutors gained entry to the president’s residence in Lima on Friday night with a sledgehammer in a raid authorized by the judiciary at the request of the attorney general’s office. Investigators were reportedly searching for evidence regarding the origin of at least three Rolex watches. Boluarte has denied the accusations and insists that she purchased the watches with her own money.
The cabinet reshuffle came as lawmakers from various parties, including Peru Libre to which Boluarte once belonged, submitted to parliament a request to remove the president from office for “permanent moral incapacity.”
READ MORE: Imran Khan’s jail sentence suspended
Interior Minister Victor Torres was among the six ministers who announced their resignation.
“I’m leaving in peace with my hands clean,” Torres told reporters, adding: “I am leaving because I asked the lady and she accepted.”While he claimed to have stepped down due to “family and health issues,” some media speculated that the resignation was meant as punishment for the weekend raids.
The five other cabinet ministers who resigned had held the ministries for women’s issues, education, rural development, production, and foreign trade. They reportedly voiced support for Boluarte, with one describing the raid on her home as “unnecessary”and “excessive.”
On Monday evening, the Peruvian leader named six new ministers, replacing roughly a third of her 19-person cabinet in a single day.
The slew of resignations has increased the volatility of Peru’s political landscape, which has seen six different presidents in merely eight years.
EXCLUSIVE: Col. Douglas Macgregor Warns Attack On Iran Would Cause WWIII And Mass Migration
Scotland Implements Controversial Hate Legislation That Damages Free Speech
Scotland’s contentious “hate crime” legislation, widely criticized as an affront to free speech, is now in effect. Critics have voiced concerns that these new measures, while designed to address the alleged harm inflicted by hatred and bias, may inadvertently act as a tool to suppress freedom of speech and be abused.
Implemented on 1 April under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, the laws aim to bolster protections for individuals and communities vulnerable to hate crimes.
These laws offer a unifying structure that both consolidates current legislation and introduces new offenses. Now, any threatening or abusive conduct intended to inflame hate, rooted in prejudice towards various characteristics like age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity, constitutes wrongdoing.
The law, applicable even within the boundaries of private family homes, penalizes behavior devised to incite hatred, a provision previously only applicable to racial matters in Scotland.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s First Minister, stated emphatically that a “zero-tolerance approach” is needed to combat hate. He expressed his confidence in the police’s ability to handle investigations related to alleged hate.
The majority of the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) approved the legislation in 2021. High-profile figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk have publicly expressed their disapproval of the act, highlighting its threat to free speech.
A recent letter to Holyrood’s criminal justice committee from the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) raised concerns that an activist fringe might “weaponize” the law.
Police Scotland has pledged to examine every hate crime reported. The First Minister reaffirmed his “absolute faith” in the abilities of the police force to filter out frivolous complaints at the First Minister’s Questions session.
He dismissed criticism of the law as “disinformation,” alleging its compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights and its provision for an explicit clause safeguarding free speech, among other defenses.
Conservatives have called for the removal of the act, suggesting that the resources should instead be utilized for frontline policing. Russell Findlay MSP, the shadow justice secretary for the Scottish Conservatives, criticized the timing of the law’s implementation and its potential consequences for Scots.
Findlay also expressed dissatisfaction that many police officers have yet to receive training on the new law and voiced concerns about access to training material by the criminal justice committee.
EXCLUSIVE: Col. Douglas Macgregor Warns Attack On Iran Would Cause WWIII And Mass Migration
Canada Marks Most Rapid Population Growth in 66 Years Due to Immigration
Thanks to an influx of immigrants in 2023, Canada has experienced its most rapid population growth in six decades, according to True North.
As of January 1, 2024, the nation’s population reached a staggering 40,769,890, marking a 3.2% increase from the previous year, the highest annual growth reported since 1957. Canada’s real-time population clock shows that the country’s population has now broken 41 million, just months after breaking the 40 million threshold.
In Q4, 2023 alone, Canada’s population increased by 241,494 people between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.
“In 2023, the vast majority (97.6%) of Canada’s population growth came from international migration (both permanent and temporary immigration), and the remaining portion (2.4%) came from natural increase,” reads a report published last week by Statistics Canada.
According to the report, temporary immigration has primarily fueled the population increase – as a record 804,901 non-permanent residents, including temporary workers and international students, while 471,771 permanent migrants also arrived in alignment with targets set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
According to a recent report by True North’s Candice Malcolm, the number of illegal migrants has exploded tenfold since Stephen Harper was Prime Minister. She said that the total number of newcomers in Canada is approximately 2.2 million people annually.
Amidst this rapid growth, interprovincial migration has also seen notable shifts, with Alberta recording a significant net gain, the largest seen since comparable data became available in 1972. -True North
That said, Ontario saw an exodus of 36,197 people to other provinces, which followed a loss of 38,816 people in 2022.
Marc Miller, Canada’s Immigration Minister, previously said that the number of foreign workers and international students had resulted in a system that was “out of control,” and recently announced a new target to be introduced in September that would bring temporary residents from 6.2% of the population to 5% within three years.
Senior BMO economics Robert Kavcic suggested that this reduction could bring Canada’s population growth from more than 3% to around 1%.
“The 400,000-500,000 range is just about the sweet spot for net immigration that provides needed long-run labour supply, while also being absorbable,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Col. Douglas Macgregor Warns Attack On Iran Would Cause WWIII And Mass Migration