Lewd site user linked to Mark Robinson also praised Hitler

The Washington Post, 

A porn site user linked to North Carolina gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson praised Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf and referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” according to screenshots obtained by The Washington Post. The posts were made on the porn forum Nude Africa by a user known as “minisoldr,” and they were taken down shortly after CNN reported on the similarities between this user and Robinson, the current Republican lieutenant governor of North Carolina. A source with access to the forum before the deletions provided The Post with screenshots showing the controversial posts.

In one post, minisoldr recommended Mein Kampf to others, saying, “Mein Kampf is a good read. It’s very informative and not at all what I thought it would be. It’s a real eye opener.” The book, written by Adolf Hitler, is an autobiography that promotes dangerous ideologies, particularly antisemitism, depicting Jews as an “eternal parasite.”

Robinson has denied any connection to the user and the posts, with his spokesman Mike Lonergan doubling down on this denial during a statement on Friday. However, CNN highlighted various links between Robinson and minisoldr, including the fact that “mark robinson” was listed as the user’s full name on the account.

The release of these old posts has caused a major disruption in Robinson’s campaign for governor in a highly competitive battleground state. North Carolina is also crucial for Republican Donald Trump’s chances of winning back the White House. Despite Robinson having Trump’s endorsement in the primary, there were already concerns among some Republicans that his history of inflammatory comments could be a significant weakness in the general election. Now, Democrats are using the revelations as an opportunity to undermine not only Robinson but other GOP candidates in the state.

The situation grew more complicated after it was reported that the same email address Robinson allegedly used on the Nude Africa forum was also registered with Ashley Madison, a website popular for arranging extramarital affairs. The porn site user, minisoldr, also wrote about having an extramarital relationship with his wife’s sister. While Robinson has denied using Ashley Madison and denied the affair, his campaign has not responded to direct questions about these allegations.

Despite pressure from some Republicans to step down, Robinson remained in the gubernatorial race past Thursday’s deadline to withdraw. The state Republican Party issued a statement in his support, though others in the party are distancing themselves from the controversy. Robinson is notably absent from Trump’s rally in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, according to a source involved in planning the event.

Separatist rebels say Indonesian army attacks threaten the safety of kidnapped New Zealand pilot

AP News, 

Independence fighters in Indonesia’s Papua region have warned that increasing military operations to rescue Philip Mark Mehrtens, a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage over a year ago, could put his life in danger. The Free Papua Movement, led by regional commander Egianus Kogoya, abducted Mehrtens on February 7, 2023, after storming his plane on a small runway in Paro, Papua. Mehrtens, a pilot from Christchurch, New Zealand, was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air when he was taken.

The pilot’s abduction highlights the worsening security situation in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, which has a distinct ethnic and cultural identity compared to the rest of the country. The region, formerly a Dutch colony, has seen an ongoing independence movement, with rebels demanding a sovereign state.

Kogoya and his group initially claimed they would not release Mehrtens until Indonesia’s government granted Papua independence. However, despite promises from leaders of the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, that Mehrtens would eventually be released, he remains in captivity.

This week, the rebels issued a proposal for Mehrtens’ release, suggesting terms that include allowing news media involvement in the process. The ongoing negotiations have been overshadowed by an escalation in military activity in the region, raising fears that the Indonesian army’s actions could threaten the pilot’s safety. The situation remains tense, with no clear resolution in sight.

Tunisian Presidential Hopeful Sentenced To 20 Months In Prison

The Heritage Times, 

Tunisian presidential candidate Zammel has been sentenced to 20 months in prison by a court in Jendouba for falsifying signatures required for his candidacy in the upcoming election. Zammel, a businessman and leader of the Azimoun party, is facing over 20 other charges, and four more cases are set to be heard in courts across Tunisia.

Despite his imprisonment, Zammel has expressed his intent to continue his presidential campaign from behind bars. His lawyer, Abdessattar Messaoudi, condemned the court’s ruling, but admitted that they had anticipated it due to the immense pressure his client has been under since announcing his candidacy. “This is no surprise,” Messaoudi stated, adding, “We expected such a ruling given the harassment he has been subjected to since entering the race.”

Zammel is one of only two major challengers to President Kais Saied in the election scheduled for October 6. The legal actions taken against Zammel and other candidates have raised concerns about political repression. Just last month, two other presidential candidates, Nizar Chaari and Karim Gharbi, were sentenced on similar charges of falsifying signatures.

In a separate incident, another presidential candidate, Abdellatif El Mekki, was arrested in connection to a 2014 murder investigation. Many observers believe these arrests are politically motivated, aimed at weakening opposition to Saied. High-profile critics of the president, including Abir Moussi of the Free Destourian Party and Rached Ghannouchi of the Islamist Ennahda party, have also been imprisoned over the past year. Amnesty International has criticized the arrests, labeling them as part of a broader assault on human rights and democracy in Tunisia.

Scientists identify first known outbreak of rabies in seals
Independent.co.uk,

Researchers in South Africa have confirmed the first recorded outbreak of rabies among Cape fur seals. At least 24 seals, found dead or euthanized along the country’s west and south coasts, tested positive for rabies, according to Dr. Lesley van Helden, a state veterinarian involved in the investigations.

Rabies, a viral disease that typically spreads through the saliva of infected mammals, is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. The disease has long been a concern among land-based animals such as raccoons, foxes, and domestic dogs, but this marks the first time that rabies has spread among marine mammals.

The discovery came after a dog bitten by a seal on a Cape Town beach was diagnosed with rabies in June, prompting authorities to conduct tests on 135 seal carcasses that had been collected since 2021. Additional testing on new samples revealed more rabies cases, confirming the outbreak.

While there has been one previous case of rabies in a sea mammal—a ringed seal in Norway’s Svalbard islands in the 1980s—this is the first recorded instance of the virus spreading among seals. Researchers are now working to understand how the virus was transmitted and are monitoring the situation closely to prevent further spread.

FTC accuses 9 social media platforms like X, Insta, TikTok of ‘vast surveillance’ of consumers
First Post, 

A new report from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused nine major social media and video streaming platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Meta, and TikTok, of engaging in extensive surveillance of users to monetize their personal data. The FTC’s findings suggest that these companies have been collecting and using vast amounts of personal information without providing adequate protections for consumers, especially minors.

According to the report, which was made public on Thursday, these platforms have failed to establish proper safeguards for data collection, retention, and minimization, leaving users vulnerable to identity theft, stalking, and other risks. The report also highlights that the companies have not implemented sufficient privacy measures for minors, despite the heightened risks they face online.

The investigation began nearly four years ago, following orders issued in December 2020 to nine companies overseeing 13 social media and video streaming services. These orders required the companies to provide detailed information on their data handling practices between 2019 and 2020. The FTC’s report now calls for stronger privacy protections to ensure that user data is not exploited.

LinkedIn reportedly trains AI models on user data without consent

Fast Company, 

LinkedIn users may not be aware that their personal data and the content they create on the platform are being used to train the company’s generative AI models. An update to LinkedIn’s user agreement, which goes into effect on November 20, will automatically opt users into data sharing for AI purposes in several countries, including the U.S. and Canada.

Kalinda Raina, LinkedIn’s chief privacy officer, explained in a video update that the new terms were designed to accommodate LinkedIn’s AI-driven products and features, allowing creators to expand their brands. However, the changes have raised concerns among privacy advocates, especially since users must manually opt out if they do not wish for their data to be used in this way.

In response to stricter privacy laws, LinkedIn has paused data collection for AI training in the European Union and Switzerland. Users in these regions will not be affected by the update, but many LinkedIn users in other parts of the

world will need to take action if they prefer not to participate in the company’s AI efforts.

Message in a bottle, written 200 years ago by an archaeologist, found on a French clifftop

CBS News, 

Volunteers working on an archaeological dig in the ruins of an ancient Gaulish village high above the cliffs in northern France made an extraordinary discovery this week—a 200-year-old message in a bottle. The glass vial, uncovered during the excavation, contained a neatly rolled note written by archaeologist P.J. Féret in January 1825.

Féret, who conducted a dig at the Cité de Limes site two centuries ago, left the note as a time capsule for future archaeologists. In the message, Féret described his research and his excitement for the work being done at the site, which he hoped would inspire those who followed in his footsteps.

The discovery was described as “a magical moment” by Guillaume Blondel, head of the archaeological service for the town of Eu. Blondel explained that while time capsules left behind by carpenters or builders are not uncommon, finding such a note in an archaeological dig is extremely rare. The team is now working to authenticate the find, which could be one of the oldest messages in a bottle ever discovered.