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China-Japan-Koreas

How China seduced its useful idiots: Chinese communists infiltrated Britain to push their party line in a plan designed to blind us to Beijing's thirst for world domination, new book claims

2020-07-11

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The disturbing extent of infiltration of the British Establishment by China is laid bare in a bombshell book serialised today in the Daily Mail. Hidden Hand, written by a global authority on how the Chinese Communist Party covertly influences the West, reveals that officials have for years been cultivating contacts at the top of British politics and business. The book claims senior politicians – on both the Right and the Left – are acting as ‘useful idiots’ to push the Chinese line at the top of government. Many are in the 48 Group Club, a networking hub set up in the 1950s by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. The authors, Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg, say this group is one of the most glaring examples of the way ‘Beijing courts Britain’s elites’. Lord Heseltine confirmed last night he was patron of the group but said he did not think anyone would believe he was part of a Communist conspiracy. The book’s authors state: ‘In our judgement, so entrenched are the CCP’s influence networks among British elites that Britain has passed the point of no return, and any attempt to extricate itself from Beijing’s orbit would probably fail.’ The startling conclusion comes as Boris Johnson comes under mounting pressure to prevent Chinese tech giant Huawei from participating in the creation of Britain’s 5G network. It emerged yesterday that Jesus College, Cambridge, had accepted £200,000 from the Chinese state and £155,000 from Huawei. The college produced a controversial ‘white paper’ on global communications reforms. The book claims: Prominent Britons of Chinese heritage are used by the Communist regime to promote the country’s interests, and have made contacts with David Cameron, Theresa May and Mr Johnson; The City of London is falling under the sway of the Chinese, including banning a Taiwan float at the Lord Mayor’s parade; The children of prominent Communist party officials – known as ‘princelings’ – are routinely given jobs in major international banks; The Foreign Office has part-funded an organisation accused of helping the Communist propaganda machine to evade Western scrutiny; China is increasingly employing ‘honey trap’ techniques to spy on senior figures – including one of Mr Johnson’s deputies when he was London mayor. According to Hidden Hand, Beijing has been cultivating friends overseas who they see as ‘nothing more than those willing and able to promote China’s interests’. The book says: ‘In Britain, there are many of these “useful idiots” – a term attributed to Lenin that described naive foreign enthusiasts for the Russian revolution.’ Patrons and fellows listed on the 48 Group Club’s website include former deputy PM Lord Heseltine, former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former prime minister Tony Blair. The authors said: ‘The club has built itself into the most powerful instrument of Beijing’s influence and intelligence gathering in the UK. It is a who’s who of power elites’ Lord Heseltine said it was merely a forum for helping sell British exports to China. Mr Straw said he went to an event in 2007 and could recall no connections with it since. A spokesman for Mr Blair said his office was unaware that he was a fellow and could see no reason why he should be.

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Britain

Unnamed sources: Trump team hired 'bloody outrageous' Jew spy firm for ‘dirty ops' on Iran arms deal

2018-05-06

[Guardian] Aides to Donald Trump, the US president, hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a "dirty ops" campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, the Observer can reveal. People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to "get dirt" on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama’s top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal. The extraordinary revelations come days before Trump’s 12 May deadline to either scrap or continue to abide by the international deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme. Jack Straw, who as foreign secretary was involved in earlier efforts to restrict Iranian weapons, said: "These are extraordinary and appalling allegations but which also illustrate a high level of desperation by Trump and [the Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, not so much to discredit the deal but to undermine those around it." One former high-ranking British diplomat with wide experience of negotiating international peace agreements, requesting anonymity, said: "It’s bloody outrageous to do this. The whole point of negotiations is to not play dirty tricks like this." Sources said that officials linked to Trump’s team contacted investigators days after Trump visited Tel Aviv a year ago, his first foreign tour as US president. Trump promised Netanyahu that Iran would never have nuclear weapons and suggested that the Iranians thought they could "do what they want" since negotiating the nuclear deal in 2015. A source with details of the "dirty tricks campaign" said: "The idea was that people acting for Trump would discredit those who were pivotal in selling the deal, making it easier to pull out of it."

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Britain

Britain migrant colonist briefs

2018-03-18

Justice Minister: UK Prison System ‘Preparing for Influx of Returning Jihadis’, Must Instill ‘British Values’ 15 March [Breitbart] Revealing “a lot of work is being done” by authorities to prepare for an expected influx of jihadis from the Middle East, Britain’s Justice Secretary said the prison system needs an incentive system that rewards “understand[ing of] society’s values”. British lorry drivers warn French port of Caen is 'the new Calais' after people smuggler caught with two Sri Lankan asylum seekers in boot is jailed for three years 13/03/18 [DailyMail] French national Issa Kebe (pictured) was jailed for three years after he was caught at Portsmouth International Port in Hants, as he tried to help two Sri Lankan men enter the UK. Muslim political leader who tried to sue Donald Trump for £10m faces jail after scamming vulnerable migrants out of thousands for bogus advice 06/03/18 [DailyMail] Muslim political leader Kamran Malik, 50, ran a London-based service offering bogus advice to vulnerable migrants and conned half a dozen people out of more than £16,000. From Breitbart - immigration: WATCH: Former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw Says ‘Some Pakistani Men See White Girls as Easy Meat’ 15 March Former New Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw has said grooming gangs are a “cultural problem” and some Pakistani-heritage men view young white girls as “easy meat”, whilst insisting that Islam is not a factor. Justice Minister: UK Prison System ‘Preparing for Influx of Returning Jihadis’, Must Instill ‘British Values’ 15 March Revealing “a lot of work is being done” by authorities to prepare for an expected influx of jihadis from the Middle East, Britain’s Justice Secretary said the prison system needs an incentive system that rewards “understand[ing of] society’s values”. ‘Cruel’ African Father Used FGM to ‘Punish’ Daughter, UK Court Told 14 March A “cruel” father originally from West Africa, arranged to have Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) inflicted on his daughter, nine, as a form of “punishment”, the Old Bailey has heard. Raped Daughter Was ‘Forced into Islamic Marriage for Money and Visa’: Judge 14 March A woman who suffered severe head injury from a past violent rape was ‘married off’ by her father for money in a deal to improve the husband’s UK immigration prospects, a judge has ruled

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Britain

British officials eye burka ban and stripping citizenship

2017-06-06

[FOXNEWS] After yet another deadly terrorist attack swept through the streets of Britannia late Saturday, politicians and leaders were scrambling to take back the reins and foil any further tragedies. British Prime Minister Theresa May, speaking Sunday after a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee, claimed there was "too much tolerance" of Islamist extremism in the U.K. and insisted that the country’s counterterrorism strategy would be reviewed. While such reviews remain in preliminary stages, a British intelligence source told Fox News that it is an "all hands at the pump" approach, with Joint Intelligence Operations to be carried out collaboratively with M15, Scotland Yard and the Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) all involved. The points of focus include: recruiting and deploying even more counterterrorism officers, and pushing through new laws to "round up" suspected snuffies and, if convicted, stripping them of their citizenship as a deterrent. "There is also early talk that things could go as far as banning the burka," the source said. The burka debate has, for more than a decade, divided much of the British community. In 2006, MP and government minister Jack Straw first advocated support for such a prohibition in the media, but several years later apologized following the backlash. Nearby European countries such as La Belle France, Austria, Germany and Belgium have, over the years, implemented different degrees of legislation to restrict the wearing of full-face veils. "It is just whispers at the moment, but if that goes live, one would guess that it will be enforced across the U.K.," the source noted. Furthermore, the U.K. government is said to be planning how to dismantle the pockets of extremism and enforce better mechanism for community integration. "There are a lot of Moslem strongholds in the U.K. from London and Luton to Birmingham, Burnley and Blackburn," added the intel source. "Right now, through weak policies, we have allowed the fundamentalists to spoil it for the majority." British authorities also are said to be looking at ways to "force large Internet companies to ban krazed killer material on their search engines and additionally report any content that they find." In her address Sunday, May vowed that the Internet could no longer function as a "safe space" for jihadism. Another intelligence source confirmed that May’s focus is very much on the role of the Internet ‐ restricting and monitoring ‐ in the quest to infiltrate where cells congregate and how they communicate.

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Bangladesh

Mufti Hannan to seek clemency

2017-03-23

[Dhaka Tribune] Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. B) leader Mufti Hannan will seek presidential pardon. Hannan informed it to the Kashimpur Jail authorities when the full verdict was read out to him around 10:30am on Wednesday. "Hannan has told us that he will file the petition seeking presidential clemency with due process through his lawyer," Mizanur Rahman, jail superintendent, told the Dhaka Tribune. Another death-row convict Sharif Shahedul Alam, Hannan’s aide, would also seek clemency, he added. The other convict is Md Delwar Hossain. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division released the full text of its verdict reconfirming death penalties handed to Mufti Hannan and two accomplices for a failed liquidation attempt on the then British high commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury. The full verdict reached to Kashimpur Jail on Tuesday night. Three people were killed and Anwar sustained injuries in the grenade attack carried out during his visit to Shahjalal Shrine in Sylhet city on May 21, 2004. The commissioner reported being hit in the stomach by a bomb, which then fell on the ground near the foot of the district chief and went kaboom! "with a big bang." Sixty-nine others were also injured. The UK foreign secretary at the time, Jack Straw, said he was "deeply shocked" by the attack. The HuJIB murderous Moslem group was formed in 1992 and claims to have carried out at least 14 attacks, killing more than 100 people in the pursuit of establishing Shariah Law in Bangladesh. A Sylhet court in December 2008 sentenced the trio to death and two others to life-time imprisonment for their roles in the attack. The High Court upheld the sentences in February 2016. The same month, the death-row convicts appealed to the Appellate Division but to no avail. Their review petitions filed challenging the Appellate Division verdict were also rejected. Hannan was also sentenced to death for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombing, in which ten people were killed.

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Britain

Former British Foreign Secretary: Jewish Money Prevents Peace

2013-10-29

[Ynet] Jack Straw says in parliament debate 'unlimited' funds available to Jewish groups in US used to control America's Mideast policy; adds Germany's 'obsession' with defending Israel another obstacle for peace

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran FM: Jack Straw must start from London

2013-07-17

Iran welcomes Jack Straw's intention to visit Iran, the spokesman of Iran Foreign Ministry Abbas Araqchi told on July 16 during a live press conference on Iran state TV IRIB. During an interview with BBC the former British foreign secretary Jack Straw said on July 4 that he was not naive about Iran, but things were looking "more hopeful" with the new president-elect Hassan Rouhani. He said that there was no evidence that Iran has been building a nuclear bomb. ISNA quoted Straw as saying he plans to travel Iran soon with the aim of improving ties between London and Tehran. Is he meddling or is this a back-channel visit? Before that the Guardian newspaper reported in September 2011 that Jack Straw is to make the first visit to Iran by a British foreign secretary since the 1979 Islamic revolution with an attempt to build support for a US-led coalition against terrorism. However, he has not visited Iran so far. Regarding Straw's intentions to boost Iran-UK relation Araqchi said that, he should start this attempt from London. The spokesman of Iran Foreign Ministry said that Iran hasn't received any request from Straw officially, but we would be happy if he visits Iran, because Iran policy is aimed at relaxing tensions between Iran and the EU. Iran and Britain cut diplomatic relations after British embassy in Tehran was stormed by some Iranians who were introduced as "demonstrator students" by Iranian Government in 2011.

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Britain

Muslim Community In 'Denial' About Grooming Rings, Says Jack Straw

2012-09-29

Members of the British Asian community are in "denial" about the issue of men of Pak origin grooming white girls for sex, the former Home Secretary Jack Straw has claimed. He said that the scandal, exposed by the trial of nine Asian men placed in long-term storage Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! for grooming and sexual abuse of white girls in Rochdale, raised a problem which had to be "faced and addressed" within some communities in northern cities. He was speaking after a damning report into the handling of abuse allegations in Rochdale by social workers, police and the Crown Prosecution Service which highlighted a catalogue of failing and "missed opportunities". The study, by the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children's Board, found that social workers repeatedly failed to take action in response to complaints from under-age girls who had fallen into the grip of a paedophile ring. Rather than being treated as victims, they were viewed as "problematic" and "wilfull" and thought to be "making their own choices". Yesterday lawyers for several of the victims disclosed that they are planning to bring legal action against social services for the failure to protect them. Another lawyer disclosed that he is preparing a case involving alleged abuse of one girl in seven separate cities stretching across the North West of England but also as far away as Wolverhampton. The alleged abuse follows a similar pattern: involving grooming rings dominated by men from Pak backgrounds, who are often taxi drivers, picking up girls and taking them to flats for sex with several men. Mr Straw, whose Blackburn and Darwen constituency in Lancashire has a large Asian population, has angered some sections of the Mohammedan community in the past by calling for women to remove veils which cover their faces. Last year he also warned that white girls are sometimes treated as "easy meat" for some young Asian men who are "fizzing and popping with testosterone" but had no "outlet" within their own community. Speaking after the publication of the report yesterday, he dismissed claims that the problems uncovered by the Rochdale report affected all communities. "There is an issue of ethnicity here which can't be ignored," he told BBC Radio 4. "It is true to say ... that overall if you go into the sex offenders wings of prisons there are proportionally more white offenders than Asian offenders or black and we have got to deal with that separately. "But it is also correct that in terms of group grooming there is an ethnic dimension which typically is of Asian men on white girls. "And that is an issue which has to be faced and addressed within the Asian community about what's going on there.

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Britain

UK could still join EURO -- Blair

2011-06-25

(KUNA) -- The European single currency will survive its present crisis despite "fundamental" problems - and the UK could still join in the future, ex-prime minister Tony Blair has said. Blair rejected claims by former Labour cabinet colleague Jack Straw that the euro was doomed to collapse though he conceded the case for British entry was not "compelling". But he told the BBC that he remained "absolutely in favour of doing it, politically" if the economic circumstances meant the idea could be sold to voters. In an interview with BBC TV to be shown this Sunday he said he had fully supported then Chancellor Gordon Brown's ... the hapless former British PM ... assessment - using five tests - that the UK should not enter. But asked if that decision was a relief given the present eurozone chaos, he said: "I do not take the view some people take that Britannia joining the euro in the past or now would be a disaster. "But I always said that unless you could make a compelling case for it economically, you were never going to win a referendum. "The case for Britannia joining is not compelling. It may become that at a certain point." He went on: "I was always absolutely in favour of doing it politically and still am, by the way." Straw suggested last week that the euro could not survive and called for a speedy demise rather than a "slow death". "I don't think it will (collapse) actually," Blair said: "I don't think they are going to give up the single currency. That's not to say there aren't huge issues as to how you get through the next months .... I think and hope the single currency will resolve its problems." Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... said: "It would be a dreadful idea for Britannia to join the euro. "As long as I am doing this job, there is no prospect of Britannia even contemplating joining."

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Europe

Cameron says EU will not let Euro collapse

2011-06-22

(KUNA) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... insists Tuesday the euro will not collapse because member states "will not let it." The 17 eurozone nations have too much invested in the single currency to allow it to fail, he told a presser at Downing Street. It comes after former foreign secretary Jack Straw insisted it could not survive and called for a speedy demise rather than a "slow death." But Cameron said: "I was passionately opposed to Britannia joining the eurozone and I'm very clear as long as I'm Prime Minister there is no prospect of us even contemplating joining the euro. "I've always believed that a country the size of Britannia, with our economy and our situation, it's much better if you have your own currency, are able to set your own interest rates because sometimes different countries in Europe need different interest rates in different circumstances. "The countries that joined the euro have an enormous amount invested in it and do not want it to, and will not let it, fail. "They see it as an absolutely key part now of their national interest and identities and I would not doubt their resolve in any way." EU finance ministers are refusing to hand the Greek government a second bailout package of 12 billion euro unless it agrees to implement a 28 billion euro (24.8 billion pounds) set of austerity measures which include tax increases and massive spending cuts. Finance ministers meeting in Luxembourg put off until July 3 a final decision on the loan instalment, without which Athens would be forced to default on its debts. Cameron said he "wished the Greek government well" but did not want to see the European financial mechanism used to help prop it up. Britannia was not involved in the initial bailout so should not be involved in subsequent bailouts, he said. "It would be quite wrong now to bring Britannia into this bailout," he added. Cameron said: "Britannia suffers when the eurozone struggles. Forty per cent of our exports go to eurozone countries. "Turbulence in the eurozone is not good for Britannia and the consequences of severe turbulence could be bad for Britannia. "The point about Greece that the Chancellor and I have both made is we were not involved in the first bailout of Greece."

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Britain

No immunity for Libyan minister: UK

2011-04-01

[Arab News] Britain refused Thursday to offer Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa immunity from prosecution after his apparent defection, but said his departure would hearten rebels fighting to topple Muammar Qadaffy's regime. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the resignation of Koussa, one of the most senior members of Qadaffy's government, shows that the Libyan leader's regime is "fragmented, under pressure and crumbling." But Hague said "Koussa is not being offered any immunity from British or international justice," dampening speculation that the British government might seek to overlook allegations -- leveled by Libya's opposition -- that he played a pivotal role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, among other atrocities. "Qadaffy must be thinking to himself, 'Who will be the next to walk away'?" Hague said. Hague said it wouldn't be "helpful to advertise" whether or not other senior members of the regime planned to quit but that he believes many likely privately opposed Qadaffy's actions. Authorities debriefed Koussa, a trusted Qadaffy adviser and longtime stalwart in the Libyan regime, after he decamped to Britain on Wednesday on a private plane from Tunisia -- apparently with little notice to the British government. Hague said Koussa was in a "secure place in the United Kingdom," but did not disclose further details. The Libyan opposition alleges that Koussa, regarded as one of Qadaffy's closest allies, had a role in criminal masterminding the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, most of them Americans. Koussa was expelled from Britain in 1980 after giving an interview advocating the use of violence to silence UK critics of Libya's government. His name also was associated with the bombing of a French aircraft over Niger in 1989, but in recent years he helped with diplomatic progress that ended Libya's international isolation. Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described Koussa as a key player who had a "fundamentally important" role in negotiations to bring Libya back into the international fold in the 1990s after terror attacks tainted the North African country's reputation. Koussa's departure would shift the balance away from Qadaffy, if only psychologically. "Moussa Koussa's apparent defection -- certainly his unscheduled visit here -- will be a very important factor in just adding to the weight against the Qadaffy regime and tipping the balance against him," Straw told BBC radio. "From a distance, what's clear is that there is unlikely to be any military 'victory' for either side. So it does depend on which side psychologically collapses." Koussa's move would be the first high-profile resignation since the US -led air strikes on Libyan forces began. Libya's justice and interior ministers resigned early in the conflict and joined the rebels fighting in the east. Though Koussa's name was long connected with liquidating dissidents in Western and Arab capitals, he later became instrumental in negotiations with the West that led to the dismantling of Libya's nuclear program. In 2003, Libya claimed the credit for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to pay restitution to the victims. Qadaffy also announced he was dismantling his nuclear weapons program, bringing a major breakthrough in US -Libyan ties. Those steps prompted the United States and Europe to lift sanctions against Libya. Britain restored diplomatic relations in 1999, ending Libya's international isolation. Guma El-Gamaty, an organizer in Britain for a leading Libyan opposition group, said Koussa's action would be "a big hit" that would weaken Qadaffy. "He says he is resigning," El-Gamaty said. "That means he is defecting. He has been Qadaffy's right-hand man for years, running intelligence, running the Lockerbie bomber negotiations, running many things." El-Gamaty said he does not think Koussa is likely to remain in Britain but would probably end up in another country in an effort to avoid possible prosecution. He said that Koussa would not be welcomed into the opposition movement because of his prior actions on behalf of the Qadaffy government.

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Britain

David Cameron sparks fury from critics who say attack on multiculturalism has boosted EDL

2011-02-05

• Prime minister is accused of handing PR coup to the far right • Jack Straw calls David Cameron's comments 'ill-judged' David Cameron was accused of playing into the hands of rightwing extremists today as he delivered a controversial speech on the failings of multiculturalism within hours of one of the biggest anti-Islam rallies ever staged in Britain. Muslim and anti-fascist groups questioned the prime minister's judgement and sensitivity to the issues, saying he had handed a propaganda coup to the hard-right English Defence League as 3,000 of its supporters marched through Luton chanting anti-Islamic slogans. Some of crowd were jubilant, saying that Cameron "had come round to our way of thinking". Paul Bradburn, 35, from Stockport, said Cameron was "coming out against extremism". He added: "The timing of his speech is quite weird as it comes on the day of one of the biggest EDL demos we've ever seen. If he wants to start sticking up for us, that's great

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