News of the Force: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - Page 1

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Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - Today is World Urbanism Day

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U.S. president speaks to South Korea's National Assembly

    

    U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to North Korea during his address today to South Korea's National Assembly, telling the North, "Do not try us," and "The weapons you are acquiring will not make you safer."

    Japan will impose additional sanctions on North Korea in response to the continuing threat posed by its missile and nuclear programs, Japan's top government spokesman said yesterday.

    And North Korea's nuclear testing appears to have spread devastation for miles, according to testimony from former residents. It's the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, where North Korea has conducted a total of six nuclear tests.

 

Italy probing deaths of 26 Nigerian women

    Italian prosecutors are investigating the deaths of 26 Nigerian women - most of them teenagers - whose bodies were recovered at sea. UNHCR spokesman Marco Rotunno said that the 26 dead were involved in a shipwreck off Libya.

 

New Zealand's new PM says no immediate cuts to immigration

    

    New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, 37, elected on a protectionist platform which included cutting immigration to ease a housing crisis, said yesterday her Labor government would not immediately slash migrant numbers.

 

Will the war in Afghanistan ever end?

    

    NATO says it's sending 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and ISIS.

 

Russia planning a new "National Guard"

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for elite soldiers in a new force - the National Guard - to protect the country's regional governors.

 

'One of our planes is missing'

    

    Taiwan says one of its air force fighter jets has gone missing over the Pacific Ocean. The official Central News Agency said the Mirage-2000 disappeared from radar, and said the pilot, Ko Tse-yu, joined the force more than a decade ago.

 

Are Saudi Arabia and Iran about to go to war?

    

    Saudi Arabia and Iran's battle for control over the Middle East reached a fever pitch over the weekend with threats of warfare, prompting the world to wonder whether the two regional powers will wage an all-out war.

    The Saudi Cabinet yesterday "appreciated" the royal order to form a supreme committee chaired by the crown prince to identify violations, crimes, individuals and entities involved in public corruption cases.

    A five-star prison has opened up in Saudi Arabia. Guests at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the capital city of Riyadh were evacuated on Saturday night to make room for some new, unwilling residents: Several Saudi princes, along with other powerful members of the government. International and domestic crises dominated Saudi Arabia over the weekend. On Saturday, a wide variety of powerful Saudi princes and officials were arrested in the name of a new drive against corruption.

 

Has Priti Patel 'gone rogue?'

By Lisa Levine, News of the Force Tel Aviv

    

    Britain's International Development Secretary has been accused of going "completely rogue" after it emerged she wanted to send aid money to the Israeli army in the Golan Heights. Priti Patel is currently visiting Uganda and Ethiopia with international trade secretary Liam Fox.

    Shaking off its climate change "pariah" status alongside the United States and war-torn Syria, the Central American nation Nicaragua has joined the Paris Agreement, and the U.S. is set to become isolated in its stance on the Paris climate agreement after Syria also said it was preparing to join the deal. As the 23rd annual U.N. climate conference kicks off in Bonn, Germany, people are already jostling to fill the climate power vacuum left by a retreating United States.

    And American actress Natalie Portman has won the "Jewish Nobel Prize." The annual Genesis Prize goes to Jewish individuals who inspire and uphold Israel.

 

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    Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Treat each day as your last - someday, you'll be right.

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U.S. Coast Guard

    

    The U.S. Coast Guard Academy has honored one of its graduates for his combat role in the Vietnam War. In a late-1960s photo released by the Academy, then-Lt. (j.g.) Kent Williams stands aboard USCGC Point Ellis off the coast of South Vietnam.

    The U.S. Coast Guard yesterday began a four-day series of workshops that it says is intended to bring 21st-century rules to the revamp of its plan for anchorages along New York's Hudson River.

    Off the coast of Houston, Texas, a man has converted a former offshore Coast Guard station into the "Frying Pan Tower," an homage to its time as the U.S. Coast Guard's Frying Pan Light Station.

    Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay has been killed in a plane crash into the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's West Coast. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Pasco County Fire and Rescue assisted with the recovery efforts.

    Three Ogdensburg, N.Y., businesses have sponsored the participation of young people in the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s About Boating Safely class. Denise Boyce of Naturapath, Dr. Michele Vondra-Harwood of Harwood Chiropractic, and Kelly Charlton of Holistic Healing, were recognized by the Ogdensburg Flotilla for their help. For information about the 2018 Boating Sponsorship Program contact Timothy Burke at (315) 393-0479. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all its service missions. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org .

    A Coast Guard helicopter saved a fisherman with a broken leg yesterday near Freeport, Texas.

    The U.S. Coast Guard has responded and assisted a disabled rowboat off the coast of Maui, Hawaii.

    A boater was rescued by a MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter off the coast of Southern California by a crew at Coast Guard Sector San Diego.

    And the Vero Boat Show is scheduled for Vero Beach, Fla., Nov. 18-19. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Vero Beach Power Squadron will have informational booths there.

 

Humvee maker sues Activision over 'Call of Duty'

By Jim Corvey, News of the Force St. Louis]

    

    The maker of Humvee military vehicles has filed a lawsuit accusing Activision Blizzard, Inc., of reaping billions of dollars of revenue by incorporating its trademarks without permission in its flagship "Call of Duty" video game franchise.

    In a complaint filed last night in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, N.Y., AM General, LLC, accused Activision of taking advantage of its goodwill and reputation in the "Humvee" and "HMMWV" marks by featuring them prominently in "Call of Duty," and licensing related content for use in toys and books. "Humvee" and "HMMWV" are short for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. AM General said it has made more than 278,000 Humvees.

    Activision did not immediately respond today to requests for comment. Launched in 2003, "Call of Duty" in 2016 was the world's largest game console franchise, and North America's largest for the eighth straight year, Activision has said. Activision, based in Santa Monica, Calif., said "Call of Duty" sales by last year had topped 250 million units, with revenue exceeding $15 billion. But AM General said that success came "only at the expense of AM General and consumers who are deceived into believing that AM General licenses the games or is somehow connected with or involved in the creation of the games."

    AM General is owned by MacAndrews & Forbes, Inc., and the Renco Group Inc., which are holding companies for billionaires Ronald Perelman and Ira Rennert, respectively. The South Bend, Indiana-based company said it wants compensatory, punitive and triple damages from Activision, after more than a year of communications failed to end the dispute.

    Humvee-branded vehicles have been used for more than three decades by the U.S. military and in more than 50 countries, AM General said. In recent months, they have been used in armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. AM General has also produced the civilian Hummer vehicle.

    The case is AM General, LLC, vs. Activision Blizzard, Inc., et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 17-08644.

 

How political correctness is driving the breakdown of society

    Full story: http://thelead.com/political-correctness-driving-breakdown-society/ .

 

Democrats win governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey

    Ralph Northam yesterday beat Trump-backed Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginia, and voters chose Phil Murphy to succeed Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey.

 

Homeland insecurity

    

    The Department of Homeland Security has key vulnerabilities in administration and oversight, including lost guns and a backlog of asylum-seekers.

    The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that it is involved in operations in four New Hampshire towns and one Massachusetts town.

    A bipartisan group of dozens of former U.S. Homeland Security officials sent letters to Congress supporting the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen, President Trump's pick to lead the DHS.

    U.S. Homeland Security investigators were at a Youngsville, N.C.,  business throughout the day yesterday.

    And ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) served a federal search warrant at Demeester Wood Products in Coopersville, near Grand Rapids, Mich., yesterday. There, they arrested 18 undocumented illegal immigrants.

 

U.S. Army

    

    Armored combat vehicle experts at the General Dynamics Corp. will upgrade 60 M1 Abrams main battle tanks and vetronics to the most advanced M1A2 SEPv3 configuration under the terms of a $7.8 million order.

    Command and control experts at the Northrop Grumman Corp. are preparing to build a battle management system to help U.S. Army commanders quickly deal with uncertain information concerning potential air and missile attacks.

    U.S. Army helicopters and weaponry will be on display at Arizona's Cardinals Stadium before tomorrow's game. Fans will be able to see U.S. Army helicopters, weaponry and much more as part of the Arizona Cardinals' and the NFL's "Salute to Service."

    The U.S. Army has been at war continuously for 16 years. New technologies pose new threats and old technologies grow in numbers and capability.

    As the U.S. military shifts its focus to supporting local security forces and their efforts to stabilize conflict zones, the Army has started weighing the "cultural competence" of its assistance brigades.

    A U.S. Army colonel will serve as the keynote speaker for South Carolina State University's annual Veterans Day Recognition Program.

    In Michigan, an Army research and development lab is experimenting with cargo hauling trucks to learn how to make them autonomous.

    Col. Mark Sullivan never intended to make a career out of the Army, a career that spanned nearly three decades. Now his name has been added to the Hall of Heroes in Huntsville, Ala.

    A U.S. Army contracting officer representative who admitted taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from South Korean businesses has been sentenced to serve 18 months in a federal prison.

    Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets enrolled at Baylor University have received first-hand experience on Army aviation at Ft. Hood, Texas.

    Kenneth Boyles falsely reported symptoms related to his service in the U.S. Army Reserve, resulting in his unlawful receipt of a quarter million dollars in benefits.

    Five World War II medals found at a St. Louis, Mo., Goodwill store last week were returned yesterday in Belleville, Illinoiss, to the widow of the veteran who earned them. "I'm very glad to have them back," said Natalya Cox, wife of World War II veteran and Belleville resident Marvin Cox. "I was very excited." Natalya Cox accidentally donated the medals, which include a Purple Heart, to a MERS Goodwill outlet in downtown St. Louis while cleaning and remodeling her house. She didn't notice the box of medals among the other items she donated. Goodwill employees recently found the medals at the store at 3728 Market Street, in St. Louis, and traced them back to Cox's husband. "I still could not imagine how I put that box with the medals in there," said Cox, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine and said she has limited English skills. "I'm very thankful that people could investigate and return it to me." Marvin Cox died in 2009 at the age of 83, Natalya Cox said. He was a retired counselor and instructor for Belleville Area College. The St. Louis native served in World War II when he was in his late teens. He received the Purple Heart after he was wounded in combat, his widow said. An explosion had burned his face and he lost almost all this top teeth. Marvin Cox did not have any kids from a previous marriage, Natalya Cox said. She was married to him for six years. Goodwill employees placed the medals in a decorative framed case, which they gave to Cox yesterday when they met at a local Goodwill store. "I can put it on a wall and display it," she said. "It's very nice."

    Nearly 30 soldiers from the Colorado Army National Guard's Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment, known as Task Force Apache, have returned home from a combat deployment.

    A Rockford, N.Y., police officer and former Army National Guard soldier whose battalion called Woodstock home has died in the line of duty.

    And the North Carolina Army National Guard will rename one of its facilities in Moore County for a fallen North Carolina soldier.

 

Florida woman indicted in death of private investigator

    A woman has been indicted for the murder of a female Pensacola, Fla., private investigator. Yesterday, a grand jury there indicted Ashley McArthur, 40, for first-degree murder.

 

POGO exposes safety risks

    

    A malfunctioning medical device can be deadly - and it’s common sense that the FDA should identify poorly performing devices as soon as possible to keep patients safe. But a Project on Government Oversight (POGO) team’s investigations found that the medical device industry negotiated with the FDA to loosen reporting requirements for malfunctioning devices. "We can't let independent agencies like the FDA put lobbyists or special interests before the safety and well-being of the American people," POGO says.

 

U.S. Public Health Service

    

    As yesterday, NDMS personnel along with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) officers have provided care to more than 2,000 victims of Hurricane Maria.

 

American Red Cross

    

    In Wendell, N.C., KIOTI Tractor, a division of Daedong-USA, Inc., recently donated several of its MECHRON® utility vehicles to the American Red Cross to assist in their hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

    For the American Red Cross, Hurricane Harvey presented a perfect chance at redemption, but now Texas leaders and residents say the Red Cross "floundered" in its response.

    You can Mmake an appointment to give blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS. The American Red Cross stated that a single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

    And the American Red Cross of Southern Missouri will offer Disaster Action Team training at the Lebanon Red Cross Office on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

 

Medical Reserve Corps

    

    La Salle County, Illinois, and its health department's Medical Reserve Corps have received recognition from the state for its program of fighting heroin use and addiction.

 

 

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