*"Arms Smuggler Or History Buff? Japanese Comics Artist 'Struggling' In
Belarusian Prison. Daichi Yoshida, a military history buff as well as a comics artist
of some repute back home, was eager to pick up a few vintage rifle parts while in
Ukraine to take back to Japan.
He packed the items that he purchased at a military shop in Kyiv and informed
security at Kyiv's Zhulyany Airport when he checked his luggage before flying out
of the country on August 15, 2016.
Assured in Kyiv that all was in order, the 27-year-old Yoshida prepared for his long
trip home, a circuitous route with scheduled transfers in Minsk and Abu Dhabi.
The journey, however, came to an abrupt, nightmarish end in the capital of
Belarus, a country known for straying from democratic norms under authoritarian
leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Security personnel in Minsk searched his baggage and found the gun parts: 10
locks and four barrels from vintage bolt-action Russian-made Mosin-Nagant rifles
dating back to the late 19th century.
But rather than mere antiques, Belarusian security saw something more sinister:
arms parts suitable for contemporary weapons.
Suddenly, a confused Yoshida, who spoke not a word of Russian or much English,
found himself facing charges of arms trafficking and smuggling.
He was given a 4 1/2-year sentence in a high-security prison, where his mother
says he's struggling to "survive" after more than a year behind bars.
"He was completely destroyed psychologically. He didn’t understand where he
was, and now he is suffering from depression," Yoko Yoshida tells RFE/RL's
Belarus Service."
https://www.rferl.org/a/vintage-rifle-parts-japanese-artist-belarusian-
prison/28998284.html.
"The Japanese Embassy in Minsk would only tell RFE/RL that it was taking "all
necessary and possible measures" to free artist Daichi Yoshida, shown here in an
undated photo."
*"Medical Pot Is Our Best Hope to Fight the Opioid Epidemic. "There are direct
reasons why [cannabis] could actually help people get off of opioids," says one
leading marijuana researcher." By Amanda Chicago Lewis. December 8, 2017.
https://www.rollingstone.com/.
"It's time we start talking seriously about medical marijuana as a way to end the
opioid epidemic." John Moore/Getty Images.
*"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in
for talks in Pyongyang, South Korean officials said." By Hyonhee Shin, Soyoung
Kim. https://www.reuters.com/.
"President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea
Kim Young Nam and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un
clap." REUTERS/Grigory Dukor.
*"Is social media causing childhood depression? Rangan Chatterjee is a GP
(General Practitioner) and says he has seen plenty of evidence of the link
between mental ill-health in youngsters and their use of social media.
One 16 year-old boy was referred to him after he self-harmed and ended up in
A&E. "The first thought was to put him on anti-depressants but I chatted to him
and it sounded like his use of social media was having a negative impact on his
health."
So Dr Chatterjee suggested a simple solution - the teenager should attempt to
wean himself off social media, restricting himself to just an hour before he went to
bed. Over the course of a few weeks, he should extend this to two hours at night
and two in the morning."
By Jane Wakefield. Technology reporter, 10 February 2018.
Credit: shutterstock.com.
*"Can Somalia’s fishing industry keep pirates out of business?"
Video uploaded to Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and Facebook.
*"Palestinian courts India's aid for talks. "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
(right) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after
meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of
Ramallah."
"RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told visiting
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that he is counting on India's
support for a multicountry sponsorship of any future Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations.
Such a framework would ostensibly replace Washington's long-standing monopoly
as mediator. Abbas rejected the traditional U.S. role after President Donald Trump
in December recognized the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Trump's pivot upset Palestinians who seek the city's Israeli-annexed eastern
sector as a capital.
Abbas has appealed to the international community, including countries in Europe
and the Arab world, to demand a say in future negotiations, but he has so far
failed to secure commitments.
European leaders have criticized Trump's policy shift on Jerusalem but appear
unwilling to confront Washington over its handling of more than two decades of
failed efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian partition deal.
Modi's visit to the city of Ramallah was the first by an Indian prime minister to an
autonomous Palestinian enclave in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Indian leader pledged $41 million for a hospital, three schools and other
projects in the West Bank. He said India remains "committed to Palestinian
national rights" but stopped short of offering support for Abbas' political agenda."
This article was published today at 3:30 a.m. Updated today at 3:30 a.m.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/.
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) shakes hands with Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after meeting at the Palestinian Authority
headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah."
PHOTO BY AP/NASSER NASSER.
*"Rohani Calls For Unity As Iran Marks Revolution Anniversary."
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani at a press conference to mark the 39th
anniversary of Iran's Islamic Rrevolution in Tehran on February 6."
Radio Free Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-rohani-calls-for-unity-revolution-
anniversary/29033278.html.
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani called for unity across Iran’s political spectrum
as the country marked the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, weeks
after antigovernment protests spread across the country."
*On Google's search page today: "Day 3 of the Doodle Snow Games!
Credit: google.com.
*"Video game review: 'Monster Hunter World" is a big, beautiful adventure."
Posted 5:00 a.m. yesterday. Updated 7:47 a.m. yesterday. By Sam Bigelow,
Deseret News Hive.
"“Monster Hunter World,” PS4, Xbox One, ESRB Rating: T for blood, mild
language, use of alcohol and violence."
*"CIA Denies Report Over Mystery Russian Who Promised Trump Info.
The secretive agency rarely issues any kind of comment, but came out to deny
the report in The New York Times and a similar one in The Intercept, an online
journal focusing on national security issues. "The fictional story that CIA was
bilked out of $100,000 is patently false," the Central Intelligence Agency said in a
statement."
Sent to AFP." https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront.
Image: (AP) Saturday, 10 Feb 2018 08:56 PM.
Copyright ©2017 www.forrestcaricofe.com All Rights Reserved
Belarusian Prison. Daichi Yoshida, a military history buff as well as a comics artist
of some repute back home, was eager to pick up a few vintage rifle parts while in
Ukraine to take back to Japan.
He packed the items that he purchased at a military shop in Kyiv and informed
security at Kyiv's Zhulyany Airport when he checked his luggage before flying out
of the country on August 15, 2016.
Assured in Kyiv that all was in order, the 27-year-old Yoshida prepared for his long
trip home, a circuitous route with scheduled transfers in Minsk and Abu Dhabi.
The journey, however, came to an abrupt, nightmarish end in the capital of
Belarus, a country known for straying from democratic norms under authoritarian
leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Security personnel in Minsk searched his baggage and found the gun parts: 10
locks and four barrels from vintage bolt-action Russian-made Mosin-Nagant rifles
dating back to the late 19th century.
But rather than mere antiques, Belarusian security saw something more sinister:
arms parts suitable for contemporary weapons.
Suddenly, a confused Yoshida, who spoke not a word of Russian or much English,
found himself facing charges of arms trafficking and smuggling.
He was given a 4 1/2-year sentence in a high-security prison, where his mother
says he's struggling to "survive" after more than a year behind bars.
"He was completely destroyed psychologically. He didn’t understand where he
was, and now he is suffering from depression," Yoko Yoshida tells RFE/RL's
Belarus Service."
https://www.rferl.org/a/vintage-rifle-parts-japanese-artist-belarusian-
prison/28998284.html.
"The Japanese Embassy in Minsk would only tell RFE/RL that it was taking "all
necessary and possible measures" to free artist Daichi Yoshida, shown here in an
undated photo."
*"Medical Pot Is Our Best Hope to Fight the Opioid Epidemic. "There are direct
reasons why [cannabis] could actually help people get off of opioids," says one
leading marijuana researcher." By Amanda Chicago Lewis. December 8, 2017.
https://www.rollingstone.com/.
"It's time we start talking seriously about medical marijuana as a way to end the
opioid epidemic." John Moore/Getty Images.
*"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in
for talks in Pyongyang, South Korean officials said." By Hyonhee Shin, Soyoung
Kim. https://www.reuters.com/.
"President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea
Kim Young Nam and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un
clap." REUTERS/Grigory Dukor.
*"Is social media causing childhood depression? Rangan Chatterjee is a GP
(General Practitioner) and says he has seen plenty of evidence of the link
between mental ill-health in youngsters and their use of social media.
One 16 year-old boy was referred to him after he self-harmed and ended up in
A&E. "The first thought was to put him on anti-depressants but I chatted to him
and it sounded like his use of social media was having a negative impact on his
health."
So Dr Chatterjee suggested a simple solution - the teenager should attempt to
wean himself off social media, restricting himself to just an hour before he went to
bed. Over the course of a few weeks, he should extend this to two hours at night
and two in the morning."
By Jane Wakefield. Technology reporter, 10 February 2018.
Credit: shutterstock.com.
*"Can Somalia’s fishing industry keep pirates out of business?"
Video uploaded to Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and Facebook.
*"Palestinian courts India's aid for talks. "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
(right) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after
meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of
Ramallah."
"RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told visiting
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that he is counting on India's
support for a multicountry sponsorship of any future Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations.
Such a framework would ostensibly replace Washington's long-standing monopoly
as mediator. Abbas rejected the traditional U.S. role after President Donald Trump
in December recognized the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Trump's pivot upset Palestinians who seek the city's Israeli-annexed eastern
sector as a capital.
Abbas has appealed to the international community, including countries in Europe
and the Arab world, to demand a say in future negotiations, but he has so far
failed to secure commitments.
European leaders have criticized Trump's policy shift on Jerusalem but appear
unwilling to confront Washington over its handling of more than two decades of
failed efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian partition deal.
Modi's visit to the city of Ramallah was the first by an Indian prime minister to an
autonomous Palestinian enclave in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Indian leader pledged $41 million for a hospital, three schools and other
projects in the West Bank. He said India remains "committed to Palestinian
national rights" but stopped short of offering support for Abbas' political agenda."
This article was published today at 3:30 a.m. Updated today at 3:30 a.m.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/.
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) shakes hands with Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after meeting at the Palestinian Authority
headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah."
PHOTO BY AP/NASSER NASSER.
*"Rohani Calls For Unity As Iran Marks Revolution Anniversary."
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani at a press conference to mark the 39th
anniversary of Iran's Islamic Rrevolution in Tehran on February 6."
Radio Free Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-rohani-calls-for-unity-revolution-
anniversary/29033278.html.
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani called for unity across Iran’s political spectrum
as the country marked the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, weeks
after antigovernment protests spread across the country."
*On Google's search page today: "Day 3 of the Doodle Snow Games!
Credit: google.com.
*"Video game review: 'Monster Hunter World" is a big, beautiful adventure."
Posted 5:00 a.m. yesterday. Updated 7:47 a.m. yesterday. By Sam Bigelow,
Deseret News Hive.
"“Monster Hunter World,” PS4, Xbox One, ESRB Rating: T for blood, mild
language, use of alcohol and violence."
*"CIA Denies Report Over Mystery Russian Who Promised Trump Info.
The secretive agency rarely issues any kind of comment, but came out to deny
the report in The New York Times and a similar one in The Intercept, an online
journal focusing on national security issues. "The fictional story that CIA was
bilked out of $100,000 is patently false," the Central Intelligence Agency said in a
statement."
Sent to AFP." https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront.
Image: (AP) Saturday, 10 Feb 2018 08:56 PM.
Copyright ©2017 www.forrestcaricofe.com All Rights Reserved
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