Category Archives: Germ Warfare

Is there any way this stand-off at the border between the European Union and Belarus can still end well? Put differently, how bad could it get? Unfortunately, the answer is: really bad. The scenarios include the death of the migrants, and even a wider war.

A recap: The crisis was manufactured by a cynical dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus. Last year he rigged an election, then cracked down brutally on his domestic opposition. So the EU, which already had sanctions against his regime, added more. In retaliation, if that is the word, Lukashenko decided to use innocent human beings from other countries as hostages to blackmail the EU.

He organized a vast human trafficking network throughout the Middle East and a disinformation campaign spreading the lie that migrants can get to Europe, and in particular Germany, by flying to the Belarusian capital Minsk and then crossing into Poland, Latvia or Lithuania and trekking west. To support this scheme, Lukashenkos cronies enlisted travel agents, airlines, smugglers and mules, from the Kurdish parts of Iraq to Yemen and Afghanistan.

What Lukashenkos disinformation didnt say is that those three EU countries will not let the migrants in, fearing another refugee crisis like the one in 2015. The populist Polish government, in particular, defines itself as anti-migrant and must look tough.

The result is thousands of refugees, including children, stranded in freezing weather on the Belarusian side of razor-wire fences and other barriers. Several have already died its hard to know how many because Poland and Belarus block press access to these forests and many more will. The refugees cant go forward or back. Theyre in a frozen hell.

That doesnt bother Lukashenko and his only ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin. In their analysis, theyve figured out the EUs pressure point, the asymmetry that makes the bloc vulnerable: The Europeans have scruples, whereas Lukashenko and Putin dont. Therefore, the Europeans could never leave thousands of refugees to simply die, while Minsk and Moscow would. What, then, are the scenarios?

First, the optimistic case. The EU is, for the moment, doing the right thing. This week, its foreign ministers decided to tighten, rather than loosen, sanctions on Lukashenkos regime. Just as importantly, theyve extended their diplomatic sticks and carrots throughout the Middle East to clamp down on that international trafficking network.

This seems to be working. Several Turkish airlines have stopped flying Iraqi, Syrian and Yemeni passengers to Minsk. The Syrian carrier Cham Wings says it wont fly to Belarus at all. Dubai, a major transit hub, has started barring Iraqi and Syrian travelers from boarding planes to Minsk. With luck, it will now become clear to potential migrants everywhere that embarking on this dangerous route is futile.

In this one way, the EU is taking advantage of its own strength and Belarus weakness. The bloc not only has money but also contacts and connections throughout the region, whereas Belarus is fast becoming a pariah. As an incentive, Europe can offer its huge internal market, as well as development aid and other goodies, whereas Lukashenko has nothing to sweeten deals. If you're an airline, would you rather lose your flights to Minsk or to the 27 countries of the EU?

If and when these migration routes through Belarus do shut down, and new arrivals cease filling the forest camps, the EU should take the next step and let in those refugees already there. Not doing so would cause mass death and a humanitarian disaster that the EU, which prides itself on its values, would not survive with its credibility intact.

The bloc should then, in a one-off arrangement, resettle these refugees, with each member state accommodating its share. In time, this precedent could even become the germ of a long-overdue reform of Europes overall asylum policy.

Now to the pessimistic scenarios. Lukashenko and Putin dont really care what happens to the refugees. They care about destabilizing the EU, and view these tactics as merely one tool in their kit of hybrid warfare. Once that instrument stops working, theyll simply use others.

Aware that Europe is in the throes of an energy crisis, Lukashenko has threatened to cut off the Russian gas flowing through his country to the EU. Putin claims Lukashenko never told me about that, not even a hint, and for once he might even be telling the truth. But the Russian president has already manipulated the gas flow to Europe through other pipelines. Russia has also threatened to turn off the gas to Moldova, unless that small post-Soviet country distances itself from the EU and stays in Moscows sphere of influence.

Even armed force isnt out of the question. Unlike Lukashenko, Putin views the entire frontier of the former Soviet Union with the countries of the EU and NATO as the field of operations. He has massed his troops along the Ukrainian border, and the US has warned its European allies that Russia may be planning a broader invasion there. In recent days, Putin has sent nuclear bombers to patrol the Belarusian airspace near the Polish border.

If Putin and Lukashenko wanted to escalate the conflict, doing so would be easy. Belarusian and Polish soldiers along the border have already fired warning shots, apparently with blanks so far. But one bullet stray or aimed hitting anybody in this tense situation could set off a barrage. Belarus would formally call on Russian reinforcements, Poland would invoke NATOs treaty obligations.

Lukashenko concluded long ago that he must stay in power at all costs, or else go down in the way that fallen dictators usually do; so he wouldnt care a hoot about causing a wider conflagration. Putin, who ultimately calls the shots in this duo, must take a wider view. The entire Western alliance including the US, NATO, the EU and their friends elsewhere must now prevail on Moscow not to up the stakes.

Bloomberg

Read more:

Andreas Kluth - The War of Nerves on Europe's Border Could Turn Hot - Asharq Al-awsat - English

MEDICAL SCIENCEA schematic of Ebola virus. Red blood cell stream outbreak, a potential biological weapon.

By GELINDE NAREKINEWORDS or phrases such as biological weapons, bioweapons, biological warfare, biowarfare, germ warfare, biological terrorism, or bioterrorism could send chills down ones spine.This is because few threats have the capacity of killing so many so fast as does biological terrorism. For years we lived under the fear of nuclear winter wiping out the human race. Now there is a similar threat from biological weapons and bioterrorism.Bioweapons involve the use of toxins or infectious agents that are biological in origin. This can include bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. These agents can be used to injure or kill people, animals, or plants, as part of an obvious or secretive war effort.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bioterrorism is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops.This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as via aerosol sprays, in explosive devices, via food or water, or absorbed or injected into skin. Because some pathogens are less robust than others, the type of pathogen used will depend on how it can be deployed. Utilising such weapons holds a certain appeal to terrorism. When compared with nuclear-powered warheads, missiles, or other more hi-tech equipment, the attraction is simple: Bioweapons are inexpensive to make, require materials, equipment, and expertise that are easy to procure, and, for the most part, involve biological agents that are readily available. As an added feature, bioweapons have the potential to cause great harm.The threat of bioterrorism has risen progressively in the world, particular over the last four or five decades. Unfortunately, the global reality of the difficult social, economic, and political environment has created conducive conditions for such threats to rise. With mounting religious fundamentalism in some countries, disillusioned nationalistic goals in others, economic deprivation in many, and, in the industrial West, the increased desperation of violent far-right groups, there has been a worldwide rise in terrorism in general. The combination of this increase, with a heightened appreciation of the evil attractiveness of bioweapons is what makes the current global situation so critical, and somewhat frightening.Although biological weapons are as old as human history, modern technology brings new worries. Some experts are concerned about recent advances in genetic engineering and gene editing technology. When utilised for good, the latest tools can work wonders. However, as with most cutting-edge technology, there is always the potential for misuse. The technology allows researchers to edit genes, thereby easily modifying DNA sequences to alter gene function.In the right hands, this tool has the potential to correct genetic defects and treat disease. However, when in the hands of those with alternate agenda, it has the potential for evil use. Thus, in 2016, gene editing was featured in a list of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation, as highlighted in World Threat Assessment, a report by the US Intelligence Community.Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications. Advances in genome editing, have compelled groups of high-profile American and European biologists to question in 2015, the unregulated editing of the human germline (cells that are relevant for reproduction), which might lead to creation of inheritable genetic changes.

With futuristic next generation technologies, and an advanced knowledge of genetics, there would be no theoretical end to the misery that could be caused. There is potential to create drug-resistant strains of microorganisms, or pesticide-protected bugs, capable of wiping out a countrys staple crop.The Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (Convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological weapons and their destruction) was signed in 1972 by 109 states (with notable exceptions). This treaty prohibits development or use of such weapons. Despite the existence of this international agreement and global understanding, within boundaries of some countries (also signatories to this treaty), there is reason to believe ongoing production of biological weapons. Such practices create avenues for dishonesty and deception, making efforts to maintain the integrity of such multinational treaties for goodwill and peace not only difficult, but also unrealistic.In the event of a medical emergency of pandemic scale, medical professionals are always on the frontline. Their responsibility with regard to bioterrorism goes beyond detecting an episode and treating its victims. They play an important duty to continue to institutionalize the scorn associated with the use of bioweapons.Furthermore, the medical profession plays an ethical role in relation to bioweapons, because this technology represents the ultimate perversion of biomedical research. Indeed, with the help of the rapidly growing field of bioengineering, the possibility exists of constructing new, doomsday organisms.Medical experts shudder at the thought of combining the contagiousness of common cold or even smallpox with the pathogenicity of Ebola virus. Using gene editing techniques, genomes of viruses can easily be manipulated for use as potent biological weapons.There are numerous historical accounts, from the ancient times to the most recent years that show use of biological agents for potential warfare purposes, causing panic and terror among civil populations. Nevertheless, their true frequency of use and impact remain very difficult to appreciate, because: (1) data are largely lacking; (2) reality was (and is) often hidden and manipulated, as the truth may not be openly disseminated, given its intrinsically non-ethical nature and therefore, rendered classified, and (3) the passage of time adds an additional layer of complexity by distorting facts. Addressing such impediments would pave way for better understanding of the true nature of production and the extent to which biological weapons are being used.Biological terrorism and smaller-scale atrocities involving microorganisms indeed constitute a reality a reality not void of myths, cover-ups, denial, controversies, and conspiracies.Regardless of all these, the use of microorganisms as potent biological weapons of bioterrorism still remain an undeniable reality. In light of all these, the question now should not whether it will occur, but rather, when will it occur. Or should we wait for another incident of catastrophic magnitude to solidify our resolve.I am indebted to the authors of following literatures for use of information on this article:

See the original post here:

Microorganisms as potent biological weapons The National - The National

Five years ago, in his home province of Holgun, in eastern Cuba, actor and playwright Yunior Garcia Aguilera asked to speak at an assembly of the Hermanos Saz Association (AHS), a cultural organization made up of prominent Cuban writers, artists, and intellectuals up to 35 years old. Without hesitating a second, he asked 15 uncomfortable questions about the reality of the island.

Read also: Cuba: how the new machinery of official control works against the advance of social networks

These questions are transmitted today from hand to hand and were the germ that led Garca Aguilera to promote the historic protests of July 11 in that Caribbean country. The playwright is the main convener of the new mobilizations that will take place this Monday 15 against the Revolution.

In 2016, in front of Garca Aguilera was the then first secretary of the Holgun Communist Party, Luis Antonio Torres Irbar, the highest political authority in the territory. The actor and playwright did not flinch, he looked at him and asked why he had gone to the paradise resort of Varadero in the midst of a cholera and dengue epidemic that was hitting the province.

But that was just an introduction. The questions grew increasingly sharp. Why in the national media do we criticize Arizonas anti-immigrant law if they still palestinians(as those born in the east of the island are contemptuously called in Cuba) we need a residence permit Or a temporary residence to work in Havana? , asked Garca Aguilera.

And there was more: Why do we criticize a hegemonic world if within Cuba we live the hegemony of a single party?.

The artist was raising the stakes more and more and came to ask why not legalize corruption to force the corrupt at the head of cultural institutions on the island to pay taxes for what they steal.

The questions went straight to the heart of the system. The silence was total. The last question revealed the tension in the environment: Why were some friends afraid that I would read these questions?.

Read also: Human Rights Watchs lapidary report on the repression of protests in Cuba: arbitrary arrests, brutal beatings, threats, and naked squats

The audio with the 15 questions was recorded by a colleague present at the assembly and since then it has been passed from hand to hand, converted into flash memory.

At 39, Yunior Garca Aguilera lives with his wife, the teacher and film producer Dayana Prieto, in La Coronela, a popular neighborhood in Havana. He works for the Council for the Performing Arts. His salary, he said, does not reach 4000 pesos, about $ 166.

As a teenager, in his native Holgun province, he was one of Jehovahs Witnesses until at age 16 he was expelled from the congregation for arguing with the religious leadership. He always defined himself as a nonconformist.

Yunior, as he is known in the Cuban art world, studied at the National School of Art (ENA) in Havana, where he graduated as an actor. He also attended the prestigious Higher Institute of Art (ISA) in the Cuban capital and lived for some years in London. There he worked at the Royal Court Theater. He currently directs the group on the island Clover Theater. Today he is a renowned Cuban actor and playwright.

On July 11 the island was hacked by the first popular protests since 1994. Garca Aguilera decided then that he should join the mobilizations and attended, together with a small group of people, at the doors of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), converted today into the Institute of Information and Social Communication.

There, he demanded to exercise the right to reply to explain on TV the reasons that had led thousands of Cubans to take to the streets. But his attempt was short-lived. He was put into a truck and detained by the police.

Read also: Cuba: the causes behind an outbreak that revealed serious social and economic fragility

After being released, Garca Aguilera founded a platform for political debate on Facebook called Archipelago and that today has 27,000 members. From there discussions were generated and it was decided to call a new protest for November 20. The government responded by organizing military exercises on the same date, coinciding with the National Defense Day.

That is why it was decided to set a new date for the call: Monday, November 15. But this time permission was requested from the authorities, who after a few weeks of silence rejected outright the possibility of allowing a protest mobilization. They also denounced that the organizers promote a regime change under the auspices of the United States.

But the artist redoubled the bet and called out to the street. We dont want to exclude anyone, not even them, the communists. We want a country where everyone fits, a plural country where the rights of absolutely all citizens are respected. Of course I know they will try to stop meMaybe they will put surveillance on me in front of the house so I cant go out. I will try to get by , he confided, quoted by the AFP.

Until a few weeks ago, TN maintained regular communication with Garca Aguilera. But it is already impossible to contact him from the outside. They cut off our Internet and even the local telephone, he was quoted as saying. France24.

The official press accused him of being an agent in the service of the United States and a report of a spy who reportedly reported on his activities on a recent trip to Madrid. According to that report, the playwright was at an event in September 2019 on the role of the Armed Forces in a transition process, sponsored by the Madrid branch of the North American University of Saint Louis.

Read also: The Revolution no longer exists: the reflection of a popular Cuban writer on the massive protests against the government of Cuba

The complaint was attributed to the doctor Carlos Leonardo Vzquez Gonzlez, Who for more than 25 years has been the agent Fernando of the State Security organs, published Reasons of Cuba. According to the complaint, Garca Aguilera participated in actions guided by the United States government through international entities from that country and from European and Latin American countries aimed at the establishment of a fundamentalist and privatizing capitalism on the island.

Yunior Garca showed that follow unconventional warfare manuals to the letter, applied in countries such as Venezuela, the former Yugoslavia and Nicaragua and is seeking confrontation with the Armed Forces and the Minint (Ministry of the Interior). He openly stated that upon his arrival in Cuba he was going to dedicate himself to the counterrevolutionWrote the newspaper Granma, spokesman for the ruling Communist Party.

But some of his Cuban colleagues disbelieve these allegations and highlight his performance in the world of Cuban culture.

Actor and playwright Misael Hernandez Pino, resident in Spain, told TN that Garca Aguilera is daring and brave.

Something must generate, something must have this boy when they are so nervous with Yunior Garca Aguilera and they try at all costs to discredit him. I believe in what he says and in his way of dealing with it, He confided.

Read also: Vicente Feli, one of the creators of the new Cuban trova, defended the Revolution: They have no idea what a dictatorship is

Also in dialogue with TN, the director of Theater of the Moon from Havana, Raul MartinHe recalled that he was Garca Aguileras teacher at the National School of Art (ENA) in the Cuban capital.

From the beginning I realized that I was going to be a well-rounded artist because he also turned out to be a very good actor and playwright. I am very proud to see the growth he had as an artist. Yunior grew as a man. He is a honest and honest human being and that is reflected in his work. It has the germ of creativity. It is in the generation of young Cuban artists. It is fortunate for Cuban theater to have artists like him, he claimed.

Read also: Five keys to understanding the reasons for the outbreak in Cuba, an unprecedented protest against the Revolution in the last 27 years

Martn also said he disbelieved the accusations against his former student. All those arguments they have invented to discredit him, beyond being a scandalous lie and a betrayal of the truth, are childish because it is laughable to suggest that he may be a CIA agent and other things they have invented, he said.

And he concluded: Associating your experiences in other countries or here (in Cuba) with a job as a mercenary () has a very weak livelihood.

Disclaimer: This article is generated from the feed and not edited by our team.

View post:

Who is and what does the playwright Yunior Garca Aguilera think, the promoter of the new protests in Cuba - Market Research Telecast

TERRORISTS will wage war on the world with catastrophic bioweapons after the Wuhan "lab leak" chaos showed how they could get away with murder, experts have warned.

Evidence of a Covid lab leak has been piling up over the last year as scientists, researchers and governments hunt for answers - but US intelligence agencies fear they might never be able to uncover the true origins of the pandemic.

5

Although questions continue to rage over whether the deadly virus could have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, investigations into the shady lab have been "easily" shut down by China.

But genetic engineering expert Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley have warned that "ignoring or dismissing" the possibility of a lab leak will have "serious implications" for the world.

Chan and Ridley said terrorists who are considering using bioweapons will have noted how quickly China was able to dismiss the idea of a lab leak - and avoid scrutiny.

It means militants will now know how easily they can "get away" with the release of a cataclysmic bioweapon, knowing the source of the attack will likely never be found.

In their new book, Viral, Chan and Ridley said: "Regimes around the world that are carrying out military-civilian, dual-use pathogen research, and terrorists who are also considering the use of bioweapons, are paying attention to what has happened.

"Not only will they have noticed the vast scale of disruption caused by an epidemic; they will also have noticed how easily the Chinese authorities dismissed a lab leak and neutered an international investigation, with the willing help of many scientific experts worldwide.

"Nefarious actors may have learned that they can easily get away with the creation and release of dangerous pathogens - with an unpredictably large impact on their target populations."

In a chilling warning, the World Health Organisation said the risk of deadly pathogens being used in a terror attack is increasing.

Biological agents, such as anthrax, botulinum toxin and plague, can cause a huge number of deaths in a short amount of time - and the outbreak would be difficult to contain once unleashed on the world.

There have been warnings that terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, or rogue states such as North Korea, could access biological weapons - like Ebola or Zika - and use them to create weapons of mass destruction.

ISIS is already known to have used Iraqi prisoners as human test subjects in experiments with chemical and possibly biological weapons between 2014 and 2016.

The UN investigators shed a terrifying new light on the terrorist groups forays into making a weapon of mass destruction.

"Evidence already secured indicates that ISIL tested biological and chemical agents and conducted experiments on prisoners as part of this program, causing death," the report said.

"Weaponized vesicants, nerve agents and toxic industrial compounds are suspected to have been considered under the program."

And there have already been ISIS-linked terror plots foiled in Europe.

In 2018, suspected Islamist extremist Sief Allah Hammami, a 29-year-old Tunisian,was arrested in Germany after planning a "biological weapon attack" using the poison ricin.

The terrifying plot was described as "the biggest potential threat ever found in Europe".

Prosecutors confirmed the suspect "had contacts with people on the jihadist spectrum".

In a briefing to the European Parliament, analyst Beatrix Immenkamp urged members of the public to take the threat of bioterrorism from terrorists more seriously.

She said: "European citizens are not seriously contemplating the possibility that extremist groups might use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials during attacks in Europe."

And experts have grimly warned al-Qaeda could also unleash bioweapons on the world in future terror attacks.

US spy chiefs have already said the terror group could rekindle its former terrorist training camps in Afghanistan to plot atrocities against Britain and America within two years as the jihadis regroup.

With the Taliban back in charge following the withdrawal of US led forces, al-Qaeda is said to be returning to the war-torn country.

Dr Zeno Leoni, from the Defence Studies Department of King's College London, said the terror group could "absolutely" use bioweapons in a future attack considering its previous attempts.

He pointed to the allegedbioterrorismplot to attack theLondon Underground with ricin by the suspected al-Qaeda operative Kamel Bourgass.

Dr Leoni told The Sun Online: "I think bioterrorism could be very basic, such as when anthrax was used in the US after 9/11. Or, it could involve the more sophisticated use of genetically engineered organisms."

But he added: "It is difficult not to imagine the involvement of states should a sophisticated attack happen."

Al-Qaeda has reportedly already experimented with producing poison from nicotine.

5

5

5

5

It's not just terrorists who could be emboldened by the stifled investigation into the origins of the Covid pandemic.

China is also feared to have spent decades illicitly researching biological weapons at dozens of secretive sites ahead of a potential apocalyptic World War 3.

The vast country is home to at least 50 covert labs where state scientists are thought to have manufactured deadly "bacteria bombs", stockpiled deadly pathogens such as anthrax, and even probedweaponising coronaviruses.

High profile defector Wei Jingsheng claimed China once carried out Nazi-style bioweapons and nuclear experiments on "human Guinea pigs".

China is alleged to have developed its germ warfare unit after World War 2 after being subjected to biowarfare by Japan - with the military academy being set up in 1951.

Documents obtained by the US show the People's Liberation Army commanders believed future battles could be fought with bioweapons.

And bombshell evidence from scientists and researchers suggestsCovid may have been tinkered with - but China denies all allegations of wrongdoing over the pandemic.

US intelligence reports and analysts have also highlighted startling concerns about bioweapon programmes in North Korea and Russia.

A US State Department reportpublished in 2017 said Russia has not "sufficiently documented" whether its Soviet bioweapons have been destroyed.

And a 2001 report from the South Korean government said North Korea was believed to have a stockpile of 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes of chemical and biological weapons - such as anthrax.

Analysts believe Pyongyang has made "major strides" in all technical areas needed for the production of bioweapons.

Andrew C. Weber, a Pentagon official in charge of nuclear, chemical and biological defense programmes under President Obama, told the New York Times: "North Korea is far more likely to use biological weapons than nuclear ones.

"The program is advanced, underestimated and highly lethal."

And according to NATO consultant Dr Jill Dekker, Syria has also worked with several pathogens, including anthrax, plague, smallpox, and cholera - some of which came from Russia, North Korea, IranandIraq.

Former PM Tony Blair has warned terrorists could wage war on the West with grim bioweapons after seeing the catastrophe caused by Covid.

Hesaid it was no longer "the realm of science fiction" that Islamist extremists could attack with bugs.

In a speech at the RUSI think tank marking 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, he said: "Covid 19 has taught us about deadly pathogens.

"Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction. But we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors.

"Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated."

Read more:

Terrorists will wage terrifying new biowar as Wuhan lab leak chaos shows they could get away with mur... - The Sun

Part Two

Facts about the United States failing to address the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading the virus, and shifting blame

To divert the attention of the international community from the origins tracing of the virus, the U.S. side has repeatedly accused China of interfering with the investigations by launching an information war and spreading fake information. In fact, China's request for the United States to accept the WHO's origins-tracing investigation is based entirely on public reports by U.S. media. According to these reports, it is an indisputable fact that the United States has failed to address the pandemic.

During the fight against COVID-19, a series of problems emerged within the United States: politics overrode science; the government made mistakes in terms of decision-making; there was lack of coordination on a national level; measures against COVID-19 were not implemented well; there was also inadequate testing; and there was lack of information disclosure.

Internationally, the United States has become the largest spreader of COVID-19, suspect source of the pandemic, and disruptor of the global fight against COVID-19. On the issue of COVID-19 origins tracing, the United States has so far refused to respond to reasonable concerns raised by the international community over such issues as Fort Detrick, the biological laboratory of the University of North Carolina, and more than 200 overseas U.S. biological labs, in an attempt to cover up the truth and evade responsibility. The United States owes the world a fair explanation. Here are just a few cases in point.

1. Fort Detrick in the United States is the base of the U.S. biological militarization activities. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in the base has the most prominent problem, with many suspicions related to SARS-CoV-2. The military base has inherited the devilish legacy of Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army, which waged an aggression war against China. The international community has long had concerns over Fort Detrick's illegal, non-transparent, and unsafe activities.

Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program in history, with the USAMRIID as the main research entity. Fort Detrick, also known as the U.S. government's darkest experiment center, continued the development and storage of biological warfare agents even after the United States renounced all offensive biological weapons programs in 1969 and ratified the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1975.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/15/cia-fort-detrick-stephen-kinzer-228109

The USAMRIID, which has the U.S. military's sole BSL-4 lab, stores almost all known deadly pathogens, such as Ebola, anthrax, smallpox, yersinia pestis, and coronaviruses including SARS. Several members of the USAMRIID staff have conducted researches related to SARS, MERS, and other coronaviruses. In 2003, after the SARS outbreak, the USAMRIID worked with Ralph Baric's team from the University of North Carolina and developed a novel reverse genetic system for synthesis of a full-length cDNA of the SARS-CoV, which was published in a paper. The paper claimed that within two months after obtaining the RNA of the SARS virus, the full-length cDNA of the virus was successfully synthesized, which shows that as early as 2003, these institutes already had advanced capabilities to synthesize and modify SARS-related coronavirus.

https://globalbiodefense.com/2019/10/20/army-study-leads-to-approval -of-new-smallpox-vaccine/

Academic papers: Methods for Producing Recombinant Coronavirus, Cynomolgus Macaque as an Animal Model for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, MERS-CoV Pathogenesis and Antiviral Efficacy of Licensed Drugs in Human Monocyte-Derived Antigen- Presenting Cells, Reverse Genetics with a Full-length Infections cDNA of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.

In 2007, the USAMRIID published a paper on the Journal of Virology about using the Ebola virus to conduct animal testing on rhesus monkeys. The virus strains used in the experiment were obtained through reverse genetics techniques with the furin cleavage site specifically removed so as to observe changes in virulence of the viruses. The furin cleavage site is believed to be one of the reasons that makes SARS-CoV-2 highly virulent. In 2018, the USAMRIID carried out experiments on African green monkeys, which were experimentally infected with MERS-CoV to help study viral pathogenesis and develop vaccines. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the USAMRIID and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research worked together to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

http://www.usamriid.army.mil

Academic papers: Proteolytic Processing of the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein is not Critical for Ebola Virus Replication in Nonhuman Primates, African Green Monkey Model of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Infection.

Multiple bio-safety incidents have occurred in the USAMRIID.

In 2001, five people were killed in an anthrax attack in the United States, and the suspect was a former employee of the USAMRIID. In 2009, U.S. officials found during an inspection of the USAMRIID that some pathogens studied in the facility were not listed in its database. Part of the lab's research was suspended as a result.

In May 2014, the U.S. Army was sued for loopholes in Fort Detrick's disposal of toxic waste, which caused the level of trichloroethylene in the area to be 42 times as high as the federal standard. In February 2015, 106 families and individuals from Frederic County of Maryland filed a class action lawsuit against Fort Detrick for harm and death caused by exposure to hazardous materials from Fort Detrick and asked for 750 million U.S. dollars in compensation. However, the U.S. government and the Army have consistently denied wrongdoing.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-md-fort-detrick-lawsuit-20140509-story.html

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Fort Detrick Death Lawsuit

During an inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the USAMRIID's BSL-4 lab in June 2019, serious violations were found. The CDC asked the lab to be shut down in July 2019, with all research work halted. The CDC report laid out seven violations:

First: The USAMRIID systematically failed to ensure implementation of biosafety and containment procedures. Specifically, lab personnel were found to leave a door open while removing large amounts of biohazardous waste, greatly increasing the risk of pathogens escape and environment contamination.

Second: An individual partially entered a room multiple times without the required respiratory protection while other people in that room were performing procedures with a non-human primate on a necropsy table, resulting in a respiratory occupational exposure to select agent aerosols.

Third: The lab did not ensure that employee training was properly verified when it came to toxins and select agents, making it unable to assess whether lab personnel understood and commanded necessary skills.

Fourth: Lab personnel did not wear gloves when disposing of biohazardous waste.

Fifth: The lab failed to safeguard against unauthorized access to lab waste. Contaminated personal protective equipment was stored in specific area, but such area did not limit access to those with access approval.

Sixth: Lab personnel did not maintain an accurate or current inventory for a toxin.

Seventh: A lab building and its interior facilities did not have a sealed surface to facilitate cleaning and decontamination. Cracks were found around a conduit box, in the ceiling, and in the seam above a biological safety cabinet.

The lab resumed operation in November 2019, but what had been done to address the violations was not made public.

https://wjla.com/news/local/cdc-shut-down-army-germ-lab-health-concerns

After the lab was shut down, outbreaks of respiratory diseases occurred in nearby communities. In July 2019, 54 people in Greenspring, Virginia displayed respiratory symptoms including cough and pneumonia. The community is only one hour's drive from Fort Detrick. According to a Virginia state health official, the number of reported respiratory cases in the area went up nearly 50 percent in the summer of 2019.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/respiratory-outbreak-investigated-retirement-community-54-residents-fall/story?id=64275865

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/08/02virginia-reports-higher-than-usual-number-respiratory-illnesses/ (more)

View original post here:

US vicious slanders on China over COVID-19 origins tracing and the truth (Part 7) - China.org.cn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) Is the Big Apple prepared for a chemical or biological attack? What about an accidental release of hazardous materials?

An air study being conducted this week in all five boroughs by the Department of Homeland Security could help emergency planners figure that out, CBS2s Alice Gainer reported Monday.

Non-toxic particles are being released into the air by scientists.

Its a sugar-based molecule and it has a DNA tag that we can look for, said Mandeep Virdi of MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Its a sugar that is found in food substances, added The DHS Dr. Donald Bansleben.

Gases are being released, too.

Its instantly volatilized and the fan pushes the plume right up into the air, so we can deliver the chemical, the liquid tracer, in a very controlled way, said Marion Russell, a chemist with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

The gas is actually a perflurocarbon tracer, which is completely safe. Its used a lot in air flow studies, Virdi added.

Sampling and sensor equipment is set up at more than 120 stations and outdoor locations, Gainer reported.

Its basically a vacuum pump with a filter. Then theyre going to collect the materials, Virdi said.

Scientists will measure how far the materials traveled and the concentration, allowing them to see, how aerosol materials that may be hazardous to the public, how they are moving through a very complex urban environment, Bansleben said.

The scientists insist test materials are safe and theyre being transparent a far cry from decades past.

Back in the 1940s through 60s, the U.S. Army secretly released bacteria it thought were harmless across cities, including into the New York City subway system, for germ warfare studies.

This weeks air flow study is a follow-up to previous testing and required years of planning and rigorous approval, not just from the feds but also the MTA, NYPD, Port Authority and Department of Health of both New York and New Jersey, where samples will also be collected.

If people are getting on PATH and going home at night, are the trains carrying material into New Jersey, Bansleben said.

The scientists said the equipment is clearly marked and it wont affect or change your commute just hopefully help better prepare officials and help refine airflow.

The last time they did this kind of testing on a smaller scale was back in 2016, and as a result there were significant changes in terms of emergency response protocols.

Follow this link:

Scientists, Emergency Planners Conducting Air Flow Study In NYC This Week To Improve Response Protocols - CBS New York

Editor,

Im a CASA volunteer and a Havre Public School bus driver.

In each of these positions, I am not only entrusted with helping ensure childrens safety. I am also required by law to report instances of suspected child neglect and abuse as I see them.

The most egregious offenses are those that negligently threaten childrens well-being and safety and those that abusively deny protections that place children in jeopardy. These can include the absence of proper clothing for weather conditions, proper diet for healthy development, and access to education and age-appropriate activities, as well as exposure to criminal elements.

I have two questions for social services, law enforcement and the courts in regard to COVID-19 and the delta variant.

Are parents guilty of negligence for failing to provide children with masks and to teach them to wear the masks properly?

Are parents and other adults guilty of abuse for demanding that children not be required to wear masks in enclosed quarters with very little social distancing?

Drivers frequently refer to their buses as germ factories and petri dishes because of the back-and-forth exchange of germs and sicknesses between us and our riders.

After suffering nearly monthly bouts of the common cold during my first four years as a driver, I have not suffered a single cold-related sneeze, sniffle or cough since wearing my mask religiously. Surprisingly, my youthful riders are quick to put the masks on and keep them on until the end of their rides.

We have a federal mandate requiring students to be masked while on school buses. While a mandate is an executive order and a law is a legislative act, they each carry the weight of the law and are identically enforceable.

When are prosecutions appropriate for people who insist on flouting the requirements intended to keep our children and themselves safe?

Kids have accounted for more than 30 percent of new coronavirus cases nationwide in recent weeks, and the percentage continues to rise.

More than 1 in every 500 Americans have died of COVID.

More than 1 in every 336 residents of Hill County have died of COVID.

More than 1 in every 280 Blaine County residents have died of COVID.

When is enough enough, and when does enforcement take effect?

Sincerely,

Alan Sorensen

Havre

See the original post here:

Letter to the Editor - Masks: one of the three best defenses in modern germ warfare - The Havre Daily News

Early medicine in ancient Greece borrowed numerous ideas from ancient Egypt, with many people seeking supernatural explanations for their ailments, such as curses and the judgment of the gods. If someone became unwell, they would typically end up in an asclepeion a temple dedicated to the god of medicine, Asclepius. The patient would sleep there and hope to be visited by Asclepius overnight, who would tell them their cure.

Upon waking the next day, the patient would report their dreams to priests, who would prescribe them a treatment usually based on prayer, exercise, bathing and herbal remedies. If they were cured, the grateful worshippers would leave behind a model of their affected body part in the temple as an offering of thanks. However, a desire to seek more pragmatic explanations for peoples ailments grew as time went on.

Join us as we explore one of the worlds greatest civilisations from the birth of democracy and the ancient Olympics to warfare, the rights of women and the whims of the gods.

Take me to todays highlights

One of the most notable physicians to advocate science and reason was Hippocrates (c460c375 BC), who helped further the theory of the four humours, and was one of the first doctors to accurately describe conditions such as epilepsy. Whereas some people believed that the disorder was a result of demonic possession, the Kos-born physician instead determined that the cause lay inside the human brain.

Thanks to the work of Hippocrates and his adherents down the generations, distinctions now also began to be made between acute (short and sudden) and chronic (long-lasting) diseases, while emphasising the importance of observation.

Physicians would also regularly take checks of their patients progressing symptoms, as well as their pulse, temperature and excretions. In addition, the Hippocratic school pioneered important new techniques: a collection of writings attributed to the physicians followers (known as the Hippocratic Corpus) features the earliest known reference to an endoscopy using a rectal speculum.

Humourism was a prevalent concept in ancient Greece. Though the theory is believed to have originated much earlier, Hippocrates is often credited with refining and popularising it.

The core belief was that the human body was made up of four fluids blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm and that these corresponded with the four elements of earth, fire, wind and water. If any of these became imbalanced, you could become ill.

The humours were also believed to be connected with temperature and weather. Blood was associated with moisture and warmth; if you suffered from redness, perspiration and swelling, you were said to have too much blood in your body.

To solve the problem, doctors would practise bloodletting, achieved by cutting the skin or by using leeches. Fainting was usually seen as a sign that the treatment was working, but death could occur if too much blood was drained.

The four humours theory did not die out with the ancient Greeks. In fact, humourism would remain part of western medicine until as late as the 19th century, when germ theory (the idea that pathogens cause disease) and other medical discoveries took hold.

As medicine was still a developing field, physicians were often viewed with suspicion. Hippocrates, however, developed a code of ethics that helped turn medicine into a respected profession, and ensured that physicians came to be seen as important members of society.

The so-called Hippocratic Oath laid out basic ground rules for a doctors bedside manner, as well as text on the importance of honesty, compassion, confidentiality, cleanliness, and careful noting of a patients symptoms (which could then be used by other physicians).

Indeed, more than 2,300 years after Hippocrates death, much of the oath still resonates today:

I swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses as my witnesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this contract I will use those dietary regimens which will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgment, and I will do no harm or injustice to them Into whatever homes I go, I will enter them for the benefit of the sick, avoiding any voluntary act of impropriety or corruption, including the seduction of women or men, whether they are free men or slaves.

Whatever I see or hear in the lives of my patients, whether in connection with my professional practice or not, which ought not to be spoken of outside, I will keep secret, as considering all such things to be private. So long as I maintain this Oath faithfully and without corruption, may it be granted to me to partake of life fully and the practice of my art, gaining the respect of all men for all time.

However, should I transgress this Oath and violate it, may the opposite be my fate.

This fifth-century BC marble relief shows a Greek physician treating a woman (Photo By DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini via Getty Images)

While Hippocrates is perhaps the most famous of the ancient Greek physicians, he certainly wasnt the only doctor to have had an important impact on medical thinking.

Herophilus (c330c280 BC), for instance, is believed to have been one of the first to perform human dissections during a time when a ban on the practice (for religious reasons) was temporarily lifted in Alexandria. Through his careful studies of the body, Herophilus deduced that veins only carried blood (it was previously thought they also carried a mixture of water and air), and devised a method for measuring the pulse.

Despite their pioneering ideas, the ancient Greeks still had some unusual beliefs when it came to conditions like pregnancy, including the notion that a babys gender could be determined through the complexion of the mother the appearance of freckles was thought to be a sign that she was carrying a girl, while a clear complexion indicated that a boy was due instead.

If a couple wanted to increase the likelihood of having a boy, the man could tie up his left testicle before intercourse; according to contemporary thinking, the right testicle was believed to be superior and would therefore conceive a stronger (and more desirable) male heir.

Another medical technique that the ancient Greeks utilised was trepanation drilling a hole into the skull. While earlier civilisations may have adopted the procedure to allow evil spirits to escape, its possible that Greek physicians had other ideas as to the benefits of the procedure. According to some historians, trepanation may have been used as a way of treating head fractures, on the basis that recovery was more likely if pieces of dead bone could be removed before infection set in.

Regardless of how strange some of their methods may seem today, however, the work of ancient Greek physicians had an undeniable impact on the western world. The teachings of ancient Greece were adopted by ancient Rome, and as the Roman empire expanded those ideas spread further afield. Together, they would influence medicine for many centuries to come.

This article first appeared in BBC History Revealeds essential guide to ancient Greece

See the rest here:

Ancient Greek Medicine: Who Was Hippocrates And What Was The Hippocratic Oath? - BBC History Magazine

Internet feeds swarm with cats and bots and trolls. Malicious posts, disguised on behalf of foreign agents trying to sow political and social chaos, compete for attention in comment threads, social media ads, and sophisticated Big Data-assisted influence campaigns. It can be challenging to connect with others through the noise. It can be even harder if youre a government agency.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA, part of the Department of Homeland Security) is trying to grapple with that dystopian information landscape as the self-styled nations risk advisor. The agency team tasked with countering mis-, dis-, and malinformation is helpfully called the Mis-, Dis-, Malinformation team (or MDM). Its mission is to build resilience against malicious information activities, which it labels an existential threat to the United States, our democratic way of life, and the infrastructure on which it relies.

With the disruptions of 2016 still echoing in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the agency wanted a new way to engage more people, especially young people, to arm them against disinformation: graphic novels.

The result is CISAs Resilience Series, fictional stories that are inspired by real-world events. The two titles released so far take up topics du jour like Russian troll farms, deep fake videos, and COVID-19 conspiracy theories to highlight the importance of media literacy.

Graphic novels are now a billion dollar industry in the United States. Theres certainly an audience for new visual books, including non-fiction. But is there one for government public service messages?

To find out, CISA turned to Clint Wattsa former FBI agent turned information warfare consultant who testified to Senate committees about Russias 2016 election interferenceto write the books. A British firm, Erly Stage Studios, designed and produced them. The firm publishes graphic novels and online games with a focus on global history and social issues, including a very graphic history of germ warfareauthored by Max Brooks for the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.

We have to find new ways to engage with people through mediums that use soft power and creative messaging, rather than being seen to preach, Erly Stage Studios CEO Farid Haque told Forbes when the first entry in the Resilience Series, Real Fake, was released. That book came out in October 2020, just before the November presidential election when fears about foreign (and domestic) disruptions of democracy were peaking.

Real Fake is the story of Rachel, a gamer, patriot disturbed by the proliferation of deep fakes and trolls online. So she enlists some friends and her mysteriously powerful uncle, the Chairman, to track down their source. Real Fake is one long speech bubble detailing the complicated and decentralized global infrastructure of troll farms, spoken by the youthful protagonists and the Chairmans secretive justice-seeking outfit called Symous. That sounds like it could be a fun comic with informative accounts of real-world threats weaved in, but it never really gets there. Real Fake serves up a lot of dense information (including a 10-page primer on deep fakes and a bibliography) at the expense of character development and visual thrills. The pacing often feels uneven and rushed, jumping from one idea or location just as it is beginning to be explored, with few visual cues to help the reader along.

There are other missed opportunities to embrace the hero genre and the graphic novel format itself. Take this intriguing panel, in which self-described journalists at a Western Europe troll farm naively discuss how best to promote a deep fake video they evidently think is real:

Whats intriguing is why the authors chose to write an aside about A/B tests (perhaps meant to show the banality of evil?) rather than actually depict sample disinformation posts, with all the color afforded by the medium. There are, in fact, very few examples in Real Fake of the actual content CISA is trying to warn readers about. Many of the panels consist of people sitting or standing around tables and planes explaining general concepts (or the plot) to each other. The story throws a lot of ideas at the reader, with the confusing takeaway that misinformation is a very complex problem that anyone empowered by media literacy can thwart but maybe only if you can also fly on a private jet to Moscow and infiltrate an active troll farm operation.

The authors made some welcome adjustments with the second issue in the series, Bug Bytes. Released in April this year, it adds a lot more excitement and character to a more coherent and (somewhat) believable narrative. This time our hero, Ava, is a journalism student. A few pages in, Avas father, a cell-tower technician, is beaten by crazed anti-5G hoodlums. While her father recovers, Ava goes on a quest to understand the attack, leading to some dramatic encounters and a lot of tutelage.

Conspiracy theories about the health impacts of 5G towers and their connection to COVID-19 and vaccines have led to real-world assaults, along with the burning of 5G towers, particularly in the UK. (For more coverage of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, check out the Bulletins Infodemic Monitor series.)

This seems like the result of a malicious cyber campaign! Ava swiftly deduces about the fictional attacks in Bug Bytes, before stumbling into the orbit of Symous, the same shadowy and well-funded cyber-intelligence group that underwrites the action in Real Fake.

From there the story gradually picks up steam into another tale of citizens qua vigilantes, though with significantly improved use of of the graphic format. Unfortunately, the unlikely heroics of the protagonists still muddles the messagethis time, when you reach the end of Bug Bytes, you find out the real champion is wait for it independent journalism. As a journalist, I confess to appreciating the flattery contained in that storyline, which clearly emphasizes the value of vigilance about facts. But who are these graphic novelettesfor, really?

CISAs graphic novels arent the first time in recent memory that government agencies have used comics to combat threats. A decade ago, the CDC went all in with a zombie apocalypse comic to encourage emergency preparedness. And in 2018, the US Army Cyber Institute worked with researchers at Arizona States Threatcasting Lab on a set of graphic novels to help West Point cadets learn about 21st-century dangers like drones and hackers. (CISA itself previously tried other fictional methods to raise awareness of information threats, like its 2019 infographic and social media campaign detailing foreign interference in the War on Pineapple. At the time the agency said it had no evidence of Russia (or any nation) actively carrying out information operations against pizza toppings.)

CISAs Resilience Series is unusual, though, in that it seems to put the onus on individualsjust civic-minded citizensto confront the danger of mis-, dis-, and malinformation. Perhaps unexpectedly for a publication coming out of the Department of Homeland Security, the running thread in both books ends up being about the triumph of non-government actors (albeit with resources comparable to those of Marvels S.H.I.E.L.D.).

In fact, the responsibility of powerful governments or corporations in both stories seems peripheral at best, and in some cases even presented as morally ambiguous (like when a hapless employee at a social media content farm in West Africa is thrown in jail for writing stories on assignment).

These are not disguised brochures for CISA. The overall message of vigilance is an important one, even if it sometimes functionslike poorly hidden vegetables in a toddlers mac and cheese.

But the Resilience Series still conjures a certain jingoism peculiar to government publications that can mimic the very threat being addressed.You cannot use scientific rationality and numbers to win this war, a media studies professor tells Ava in one of the many didactic moments in Bug Bytes. You need to win their hearts and minds first and then show them the truth! It takes 49 pages of instruction with pictures to get to hearts and minds, but it gets there.

View original post here:

The US government's comic approach to information warfare - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Daniel Craigs fifth and final outing as Bond may not have as many pulses racing due to No Time to Dies frequently cancelled release dates (the first trailer was back in December 2019), but fans are still keen to see the return of the iconic British spy.

Indeed, recent events have conspired to make 007 more relevant than in previous years, with shiny-pated Amazon boss Jeff Bezos emulating both villains Blofeld (who took over the entertainment assets of billionaire Willard Whyte in Diamonds are Forever) and Hugo Drax (Moonraker) with his recent acquisition of 007 studio MGM and brief space flight.

Until No Time to Die is released, the jury is obviously out on Rami Maleks (Bohemian Rhapsody) turn as bad guy Lyutsifer Safin (crazy name, crazy guy, as the saying goes), but we know that Christoph Waltzs Blofeld (Spectre) will be in the picture, ridiculous Freudian backstory and all.

One thing noticeable in the franchise as a whole is the general absence of top-flight female antagonists for Bond.Sure, weve had formidable second stringers like knife-booted Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya, From Russia with Love), Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera, Never Say Never Again), Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen, Goldeneye) and Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman, Goldfinger), but only The World is Not Enough (1999) boasts a woman as 007s principal adversary.

The film cast French actress Sophie Marceau as double-dealing oil magnate Elektra King, aided by her rather useless sidekick Renard (Robert Carlyle), unable to feel pain due to a bullet lodged in his brain, rendering him akinto The Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975).

Perhaps in his next iteration, 007 will face a female (or transgender) mastermind capable of giving the shaken, not stirred secret agent a run for his money.

On that note, my selection of Bonds ten most memorable foes (in no particular order):

For me, Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) and cheeky Nick Nack (Herv Villechaize) make an all-time classic double act of Bondian villainy.

Roger Moores second time as 007 proved a (relative) financial failure and reviews were lacklustre, possibly as the movie was seen to be aping the kung fu craze of the period.

A shame, as Lees three-nippled villain is an impressive opponent, comparing himself to Bond (we are the same) in both his skillset and deadly efficiency.

Scaramanga also possesses the wry sense of humour so missed in many of the modern Bond films, commenting to then superior Hai-Fat on Bonds escape from a karate school: What do they teach at that academy? Ballet dancing?

The added value in the picture is provided by Herv Villechaizes diminutive sidekick Nick Nack, who enjoys a bantering relationship with his boss and shares an equal dedication to ridding the world of James Herbert Bond.

Like Diamonds are Forevers pervy pair Wint & Kidd, Nick Nack also seemed to be something of a voyeur, but as 007 was always being caught in flagrante, I dont suppose he minded that much.

Moonraker is not a great Bond movie by any means, but the late Michael Lonsdale's poetic Hugo Drax is a wonderful baddie in fact hes my favourite of the entire gallery of rogues.

He gets the best lines (And you, Dr Goodhead, your desire to become America's first woman in space will shortly be fulfilled) and appears a decent employer, boosting the then sagging world economy with his hiring of the unemployed Jaws (Richard Kiel) after Bond killed his previous #1 henchman Chang.

Draxs strictures about physical perfection rebound on him towards the end of the picture when Jaws and his lady friend Dolly realise that they may not be suitable candidates for the would-be World Kings new Earthly Eden.

The film suffers from its attempt to cash in on the Star Wars craze, upping the global stakes still further after The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

The gondola chase in Venice is best forgotten, a scene which could easily have been accompanied by the Benny Hill Show theme.The next Bond movie (1981s For Your Eyes Only) was a conscious attempt to bring the franchise down to earth (sic) with a more realistic (for Bond) premise.

Admittedly, Robert Shaw's Red Grant is not technically the main villain in From Russia with Love, but hes a great adversary, one who is no pushover for Connerys 007.Even if he doesn't know which wine to serve with fish...

Along with his Nazi Colonel in The Battle of The Bulge (1965) and Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966), Shaw never looked in better fettle, a stark contrast to his grizzled Quint in Jaws (1975) when he was (shockingly) only 48 years old.

In fact, From Russia WithLove is a rarity in having no main villain, with the chores being shared by SPECTRE myrmidons under the orders of #1 (aka Blofeld, played by Anthony Dawson), shown in shadow from the chest down, stroking his customary white moggy.

Does portly German golf andcard game cheat Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frbe) remind you of anyone?

Former President Trump (of German ancestry on his fathers side) also shares Aurics love of gold, as evidenced by the garish decoration of his hostelries and private apartments.

Back to Goldfinger, hes a rather boorish character, but with an eye for talent, backed up by loyal henchman Oddjob and Pussy Galores all-female Flying Circus of pilots, although Galore does rat him out in the end after succumbing to Bonds brutish charms.

Goldfingers plan to irradiate Fort Knox to increase the value of his own gold stockpile is a sound one, but (as usual in Bond movies) sloppiness in follow-up work on a captured 007 proves the baddies undoing, as he wanders off before a prone 007 is due to be cut in half by a laser beam.

Poor finishing, as TV football pundits are wont to say.

Prior to his international fame in the 1970s as Greek American lollipop-loving NY detective Theo Kojak, Telly Savalas was perhaps best known as a bad guy in the movies, aided by his trademark shaven head and slightly depraved air.

Telly Savalas is my favourite incarnation of the Bond nemesis Blofeld, closely followed by Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice (1967).

He is superb in OHMSS, even though his scheme to blackmail the world through germ warfare to recognise his title as Count Balthazar de Bleuchamp does appear to be on the petty side.Much like Dr Evil asking for 1m in the first Austin Powers movie (1997).

Director Peter Hunts movie is one of the best in the series, and although former Frys Chocolate model George Lazenby is no Connery, hes convincing in the action sequences.

The Antipodean Lazenby has a decent chunk of his dialogue dubbed by George Baker, as he couldnt quite nail the accent required for his disguise as College of Arms genealogist Sir Hilary Bray (played by Baker at the beginning of the film).

Looking if anything older than his 57 years (consider that Brad Pitt was just a year younger in 2019s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Roger Moore is a very creaky 007 in his final Bond.

Back in the 2015 BBC documentary Premium Bond, Mark Gatiss (Inside #9) went so far as to comment:If you watched this film, not as a James Bond film, but as a film about an elderly man who thinks he's a secret agent, its absolutely charming.

Luckily the movie has a decent villain, with Christopher Walken especially good value as Nazi-bred bermensch Max Zorin.Walken plays the role with a light touch, in some scenes even appearing to wink at the audience.And why not, as the plot is pretty much tripe (something about submerging Silicon Valley)

'Let the mayhem begin' says scheming Murdochian media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) in Pierce Brosnans second Bond movie.Carvers plan is to start a war between the UK and Communist China in the South China Sea.Why? To sell more papers and increase viewing to his cable news channels of course.

Its up to Bond to uncover the plot and put paid to Carver; his task complicated by his previous relationship with the billionaires trophy wife Paris (Terri Hatcher). Was Tony Blair influenced by the movie or was it vice versa?

Pryce is underrated as the white-wigged Mao-jacket sporting megalomaniac, serving up his dialogue with evident relish:Soon I'll have reached out to and influenced more people than anybody in the history of this planet, save God himself. And the best he ever managed was the Sermon on the Mount.

Joe Don Baker (Edge of Darkness) pops up in the movie (and in 1995s Goldeneye) as CIA liaison Jack Wade; curious since he was the villain Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights (1987) eight short years earlier.

The second of the Craig quintet is the shortest Bond picture and one of the most derided on release, not least for its dull title, taken from one of Ian Flemings 007 short stories.

But since then, Quantum of Solace has quietly been accruing a reputation as a decent addition to the series.

Following directly on from Casino Royale, the Bourne-style action sees 007 track down heads of the Quantum organisation (a Spectre front), chiefly eco-millionaire Dominic Greene who is busy gaining a monopoly of Bolivian water rights.

Mathieu Amalric (Munich) is good fun as the weaselly Greene, who unfortunately has possibly the lamest sidekick in the franchise Elvis (Anatole Taubman), whose potential for menace is undercut by his gormless Moe Howard (Three Stooges) bowl cut.

Amalrics weird squealing during his fight scene with the far beefier Craig is a highlight of the picture.

I do have a problem with Bonds decision to sling murdered friend/ally Ren Mathis (the great Giancarlo Giannini) into the nearest refuse skip, rather than arranging for his remains to be sent back to his loving wife in France.He wouldnt care,'Bond intones as he dumps the unfortunate Mathis onto a smelly heap of Bolivian garbage.Personally, I think he would.

Usually acknowledged as the best of the Moore Bonds, TSWLM sees web-handed aquatic wanna-be world dictator Carl Stromberg (Curt Jrgens) attempt to provoke a global nuclear war with the aim of eventually emerging as the head of an underwater empire.

As ambitions go, its certainly original, and to be sure, Strombergs vision of a marine kingdom Under the Sea bears scant comparison to the Little Mermaids Atlantica.

The usually sedentary Stromberg is aided in his efforts by towering henchman Jaws (Richard Kiel), who has yet to reveal the softer side he displayed in Moonraker.

Spectacular sets from Ken Adam, a great foil to Bond in Barbara Bachs Soviet Agent Triple X and Carly Simons theme song (Nobody Does it Better) make Spy an enjoyable watch, although the silliness of some of the later Rog entries is foreshadowed by increasingly gimmicky gadgets.

None thankfully in the realm of Die Another Days (2002) invisible car though.

Not an 'official' Bond movie, but NSNA boasts a first-class foe in the shape of the jumpy Largo, played by the excellent Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto). Barbara Carrera backs the senior Spectre operative as his equally unhinged henchperson Fatima Blush.

Both roles seem to have been written (or at least performed) as a pair with serious cocaine habits, given the amount of twitching, wild-eyed staring and general tomfoolery going on.Donning the Bond toupe for his final outing, Sean Connery apparently had a miserable time making the film, bringing in sitcom writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Porridge) to punch up the script.

Excerpt from:

The enduring appeal of the Bond villain - Spectator.co.uk