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A demonstrator holds a banner reading "Where are Dom and Bruno" during a protest.
Hard Numbers: Amazon arrests, UK and EU tussle (again), Russian spy found at ICC, COVID vaccines … for babies
2: Two brothers have been arrested in connection with the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon rainforest. Authorities believe one of the suspects ambushed the victims prior to the attack. Phillips and Pereira worked to expose and prevent illegal fishing and mining in the rainforest.
24: The British government is deciding whether to ditch a European human rights pact it passed into law 24 years ago after the European Court of Human Rights forced London to freeze a controversial immigration policy mandating the transfer of asylum seekers to Rwanda. This latest row comes as the UK and EU are already at loggerheads over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
20: Dutch authorities say they caught a Russian spy trying to infiltrate the International Criminal Court at the Hague, which is investigating alleged war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine. The suspect, who was posing as a Brazilian intern, will face legal proceedings in Brazil. This breach isn’t new: the Dutch say they’ve expelled some 20 Russian spies in recent years.
20 million: The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines for children as young as six months. Around 20 million American kids under the age of 5 will now be eligible for the shot.This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.
The word Pegasus, binary code and the Spanish flag.
Hard Numbers: Spain spy chief sacked, US gun deaths soar, Angolan diamonds dull, Ecuador prison explodes (again)
63: Spain’s spy chief Paz Esteban has been fired over revelations that the intelligence community had targeted 63 Catalan independence activists with the controversial Pegasus spyware.
35: Gun-related homicides in the US shot up 35% during the first year of the pandemic, the largest annual increase ever recorded, according to the CDC. Experts attribute the surge to higher firearms sales and the economic and psychological disruptions caused by the pandemic. The murder rate for young Black men was more than 20 times as high as it was for white men of the same age.
10.05 million: Angola’s state diamond producer has warned that its output could fall by a third this year, to 10.05 million carats, because US and European sanctions against Moscow are interfering with deliveries of diamond mining equipment from Russia.
44: At least 44 inmates were killed in a prison riot in Ecuador this week. The violence at the Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas facility was sparked by a drug gang rivalry, but experts say prison overcrowding is an ongoing problem in the Andean country, where riots like this are common.
Hard Numbers: US economy down, Bennett picks up his tab, no ransom in Nigeria, South Koreans spy for North
1.4: US economic growth shrank by 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, the first contraction since the pandemic began. Bad news for President Biden, but a recession can still be avoided if Americans keep spending, hiring remains strong, and wages keep pace with inflation.
7,400: Israel's PM Naftali Bennett says he'll pay for his own meals from now on after running up a $7,400 monthly food tab covered by taxpayer money. Bennett, a self-made millionaire who still lives in his private residence, claims to spend three times less per month than his predecessor Bibi Netanyahu, famous for his lavish lifestyle.
15: Nigeria has updated its terror law in a bid to fix its kidnapping problem. Anyone who pays a ransom now faces a minimum 15-year sentence, and abductors who kill now face the death penalty.
2: Two South Koreans have been arrested for allegedly passing secrets to the North. The pair — a crypto CEO and an army officer — are accused of sharing login details for South Korea's joint military command in exchange for a hefty payday in Bitcoin.Australian academic freed in Iran hails end of 'traumatic ordeal'
Kylie Moore-Gilbert said she now faces a "challenging period of adjustment".
Australia charges first person under foreign interference law
SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Australian police said a Melbourne man who appeared in court on Thursday (Nov 5) was the first person charged with foreign interference under new legislation introduced in 2018.
Espionage in Australia at higher levels than Cold War, spy chief warns
SYDNEY (AFP) - Espionage in Australia had eclipsed Cold War levels, the country's spymaster told Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 20), in a speech warning that citizens were being monitored and harassed by foreign powers.
Detained Australian Yang Hengjun to face trial in Beijing
SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun will face trial in Beijing on an espionage charge with a judge expected to be appointed in the next fortnight, friends said on Saturday (Oct 10).
Malaysia's former spy chief accused of spending S$16.5mil to using govt funds to buy watches
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's former spy chief, who is on trial for criminal breach of trust (CBT), spent US12.1 million (S$16.5 million) to buy six luxury watches using funds contributed to the government, public prosecutors said on Tuesday (Oct 6) at the start of her trial.