by KS
UNITED STATES: Chadwick Boseman: 1976-2020
One of the best actors of his generation, with a vast amount of potential to do even more, has had his life tragically cut short.
Boseman passed away on Aug. 28 from colon cancer, a disease he kept secret for four years. He was born on Nov. 29, 1976 in South Carolina, and went on to study at Howard University, where he earned a BFA in Directing. Actress Phylicia Rashad, who served as one of his instructors, convinced Denzel Washington to pay for Boseman and others to attend the Oxford Mid-Summer Program of the British American Drama Academy in London.
The date of Boseman’s death was sadly ironic, as it came 75 years to the day that Jackie Robinson spoke with Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey about breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Boseman portrayed Robinson in the movie, “42.” The Aug. 28 date was also the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In attendance for that event was none other than Jackie Robinson, as well as the late John Lewis.
In addition to Robinson, Boseman was quite apt at portraying great African Americans. He also played James Brown in “Get On Up” and Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall.”
Of course, the role that made him legendary was that of T’Challa – aka the “Black Panther” – in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After making his debut in “Captain America: Civil War” Boseman would take the lead – and throne as King T’Challa of fictional Wakanda – in the film “Black Panther” – the first Marvel superhero film with a Black person and Black cast as the featured stars. The movie was both a cultural and financial hit, making over $200 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and grossing over $1 billion worldwide in its theatrical run.
Upon his death, condolences came from all over; from Marvel co-stars like “Black Panther” actors Michael B. Jordan, Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright and core “Avengers” Robert Downey, Jr. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner to political figures like former President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and fellow Howard alumnus Kamala Harris, who received praise from Boseman in a post on Twitter – the last one of his life. A post made by his family announcing his death became the most liked post in the history of that platform.
Before his passing, Boseman married longtime girlfriend Taylor Simone Ledward in a secret ceremony.
It has been a hard time lately for fans of notable African Americans, as just in the past week alone, legendary Georgetown head coach John Thompson, Jr. – the first Black coach to win a National Championship – and former NBA all-star Cliff Robinson died at 78 and 53 respectively.
MIDDLE EAST: Beirut Still Reeling From Explosion
Risk of waterborne diseases is rising in Beirut, in the aftermath of the devastating explosion in early August, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned, calling for urgent action to ensure families and responders have access to safe water and sanitation.
Rising cases of COVID-19 is complicating an already difficult situation, according to the head of the UNICEF office in Lebanon.
“As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, it is more critical than ever to ensure that children and families whose lives were turned upside down by the explosion have access to safe water and sanitation,” said Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF Lebanon Representative.
“When communities don’t have access to this critical necessity, the risk of water-borne diseases, as well as COVID-19, can skyrocket,” she added.
The situation is particularly distressing for some 300,000 people – including around 100,000 children – whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the blast.
Though public water sustained only minor damage and remains mostly functional, the explosion cut off more than one hundred buildings from the water supply network and damaged the water systems in over 500 others. This compounded an already precarious situation in terms of access to safe water and sanitation in the greater Beirut area.
In the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 4 explosion, UNICEF along with partners and water authorities assessed the damage to water infrastructure and began responding to pressing needs, supporting repairs where needed.
UNICEF and partners also reconnected over one hundred buildings to the public water system and installed 570 water tanks in damaged ones, trucked water for households, provided water to first responders, and distributed over 4,300 hygiene and 620 baby kits to affected families.
UNICEF is also providing training and resources to equip thousands of young people across Lebanon with the skills they need to help rebuild their country, including training on repairs and maintenance of critical water and sanitation infrastructure .
ASIA: Company Admits to Violating Sanctions
Yang Ban Corporation, a company established in the British Virgin Islands in 2014 that operated in South East Asia pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder monetary instruments in connection with evading sanctions on North Korea and deceiving correspondent banks into processing U.S. dollar transactions. The company will pay a financial penalty totaling $673,714.04.
In pleading guilty, Yang Ban admitted and accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct. Yang Ban also agreed to implement rigorous internal controls and to cooperate fully with the Justice Department, including by reporting any criminal conduct by an employee.
“Evasion of U.S. sanctions laws allows North Korea to continue its dangerous and persistent proliferation activities and to develop weapons of mass destruction,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “This defendant utilized dual invoicing practices and provided false statements to conceal the ultimate destination of commodities it purchased for North Korea, duping U.S. correspondent banks into processing U.S. dollar transactions that they would not otherwise have authorized. The disruption of this activity demonstrates that the Justice Department will leverage its significant investigative assets to uncover and punish North Korean efforts to engage in fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations all to bolster its oppressive regime.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system, leveraging investigative assets in our combined efforts to expose the North Korean regime’s attempt to evade U.S. sanctions,” said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) HSI Washington, D.C.
U.S. sanctions and banking regulations prevented correspondent banks in the United States from processing wire transfers on behalf of customers located in North Korea. According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least February 2017 and continuing until at least May 2018, Yang Ban deceived banks in the U.S. into processing transactions for North Korean customers of Yang Ban. Yang Ban and its co-conspirators utilized financial cutouts and front companies to conceal the North Korean nexus.
Yang Ban specifically admitted to conspiring with other, including SINSMS, a subsequently designated company, to falsify shipping records. For example, in May 2017, a North Korean co-conspirator notified Yang Ban and its co-conspirators of a company which would ship to Nampo, North Korea, but would require two separate sets of shipping documents. One set of documents would be free of any indication that the shipment was going to North Korea, and a second set of documents would contain the North Korea details for internal record keeping.
Yang Ban admitted that it was aware that it needed to distance itself from North Korean front companies in order to protect it from additional scrutiny from banks that process U.S. dollar transactions. For example, in September 2016, Yang Ban caused an employee to inform a North Korean customer that Yang Ban was unable to use a related company for further business with North Korea due to bank restrictions on such transactions.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office with support from HSI’s Washington D.C. Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia M. Faruqui and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers, Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, and Records Examiner Angela De Falco.
EUROPE: Action Urged For Stranded Migrants
Hundreds of rescued migrants and refugees currently on board three vessels in the Central Mediterranean, some of whom have been stuck at sea for weeks, must be brought to shore immediately, two UN agencies said on Aug. 29.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, also underlined the need for regional agreement on safe disembarkation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced search and rescue capacity.
“The humanitarian imperative of saving lives should not be penalized or stigmatized, especially in the absence of dedicated state-led efforts,” they said in a joint statement.
The agencies reported that some 200 refugees and migrants were in urgent need of transfer and disembarkation from the Louise Michel, a search and rescue vessel operated by a German non-governmental organization (NGO) and funded by the reclusive British artist Banksy.
The boat had assisted in a rescue early on Saturday and was overcrowded. “Any delays could jeopardize the safety of all people onboard, including its crew members,” the agencies warned.
Following calls for assistance, 49 people were later evacuated by the Italian coastguard, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, some 27 people who had departed from Libya have been aboard a commercial vessel since being rescued more than three weeks ago. Those on the Maersk Etienne include a pregnant woman and children.
Describing the situation as “unacceptable,” the UN agencies stressed that a commercial tanker “cannot be considered a suitable place to keep people in need of humanitarian assistance or those who may need international protection,” adding that “appropriate COVID-19 prevention measures can be implemented once they reach dry land.”
A further 200 migrants and refugees are on board another NGO rescue vessel, the Sea Watch 4.
Both IOM and UNHCR have long called for regional agreement on a mechanism for disembarkation of people rescued at sea.
“The lack of agreement…is not an excuse to deny vulnerable people a port of safety and the assistance they need, as required under international law,” they said, calling for stalled talks to be resumed and for other European Union (EU) states to step up support to Mediterranean countries on the frontline of the issue.
The UN agencies also expressed concern about what they described as the continued absence of dedicated EU-led search and rescue capacity in the Central Mediterranean.
