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Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is antisemitic – opinion


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Kyiv has denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diatribe that the West installed Volodymyr Zelensky, an “ethnic Jew, with Jewish roots, with Jewish origins” as Ukraine’s president to “cover up the glorification of Nazism” as antisemitic. The fact that ethnically, Russian, Ethiopian and Yemenite Jews are diverse, yet share the same heritage, is ignored by Putin’s grotesque classical antisemitic characterization of Jews that is evocative of Der Stürmer.

The dark ironies abound. Despite being accused of being a neo-Nazi plant, Zelensky has stated that his grandfather’s brothers were killed in the Holocaust. Just as Hitler dehumanized Jews before murdering them in his “Final Solution,” Putin uses the same tactics towards Ukraine resulting in him referring to the “anti-human essence that is the foundation of the modern Ukrainian state.”

Putin manipulates the memory of the Holocaust to justify committing ethnic cleansing and genocide to advance his imperialistic ambitions in Ukraine. As part of this strategy, Putin has repeatedly declared that Ukraine is not a real state and should be part of his Russian empire.

The Kremlin has resorted to distorting history and belittling the uniqueness of the Holocaust. In January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov justified Russia’s war on Ukraine by accusing the US of marshaling European countries to solve “the Russian question” in the same way that Adolf Hitler had sought a final solution to eradicate Europe’s Jews.

In his 2013 book, Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition, David Nirenberg identified that antisemitism operates as a set of conspiracy theories that are based upon negative stereotypes of Jews that can be applied to any social or historical context. Whether it be the far right across Europe who fear the replacement of white Christians or the alt right in America that fear the influx of Middle Eastern, Central and South Americans, it is the Jews who are vilified for plotting immigration and demographic changes to target white Christians. Facts are deemed incidental to the conspiratorial worldview where antisemitism festers.

A U.S. State Department dossier on Russian disinformation will feature this photo of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Jan. 23, 2020. (credit: OFFICE OF UKRAINE PRESIDENT)

On February 27, 2022, three days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of the world’s leading historians and scholars of Nazism and the Holocaust signed a statement: “We strongly reject the Russian government’s… equation of the Ukrainian state with the Nazi regime to justify its unprovoked aggression. This rhetoric is factually wrong, morally repugnant and deeply offensive to the memory of millions of victims of Nazism and those who courageously fought against it.”

None of the new set of Russia’s elites who guaranteed their wealth by maintaining political ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin or the old set of Russian oligarchs that acquired wealth in the aftermath of the Cold War but who have since divested any interest in Russia have strongly repudiated Putin’s antisemitic rhetoric and minimization of the Holocaust.

This extends to the former president of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), Moshe Kantor who is close to Putin and who the EJC ironically lobbied for him not to be sanctioned by the US and to be removed from the EU’s sanctions list. It would be worthy of satire had it not been tragic that the EJC’s rationale is that sanctioning Kantor would cause the destruction of European Jewish life.

Should Europe’s Jewish life be secured by finances provided by Putin? As has been reported, Kantor is a major shareholder in Russian fertilizer firm Acron, which the UK said provides “vital strategic significance for the Russian government” as it enables Putin to circumvent sanctions and contribute financially to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

Antisemitic sentiment popular in Russia

Moreover, should European Jewry be traded for Russia’s Jewish life as Putin’s antisemitic rhetoric is fostering antisemitism in Russia? In 2018, a survey conducted in Russia found that 14% of Russia’s population did not want to have Jews as their fellow citizens. This was compared with 5% in Ukraine. In 2022, Putin threatened to close the offices of the Jewish Agency that was responsible for maintaining Russia’s Jewish communal life for its roughly 150,000 Jews and that had facilitated a mass exodus of nearly one million Jews that emigrated to Israel.

There were 86 members of my family who perished in the Holocaust’s slaughter of six million Jews. I find it shameful for their memory to be distorted by Putin’s attempt to commit genocide in Ukraine today. It is incredibly cynical for Putin’s oligarchs to avoid being sanctioned by associating themselves with the well-being of European Jewry while enabling Putin to circumvent sanctions. Furthermore, failing to decry Putin’s antisemitic pronouncements is to enable him to promote greater antisemitism in Russia and slaughter innocent civilians in Ukraine.

The silence in the face of Russian atrocities in Ukraine runs contrary to Elie Wiesel’s oft mentioned maxim that the Holocaust must make us sensitive to the plight of others. To be silent at false historical equivalences created between the Holocaust and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine in which Putin advances ethnic cleansing and genocide for his own imperialistic ambitions is to do the exact opposite.

The writer is a board member of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Partnership for Peace Fund and former president of the Advisory Board for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP).

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Russian Presidential Foundation Awards $16M to Pro-War Culture Projects – The Moscow Times


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President Vladimir Putin’s cultural support foundation has awarded 1.6 billion rubles ($16.4 million) to arts and culture projects that drum up support for the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives on Thursday announced 303 winners of its annual competition for receiving state funding, with projects including music festivals featuring songs about the war in Ukraine, patriotic-infused art installations and a movie about a pro-Russian separatist leader.

“Mirnyi Atom” (“Peaceful Atom”), a detective TV series about a Russian engineer who travels to the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, won the largest grant of 49 million rubles ($500,000).

The creators of “Mirnyi Atom” said they hope to show the TV series in schools across Russia.

The second largest grant was awarded to a music production studio for “new patriotic talent,” which secured funding of 23 million rubles ($235,000).

Journalists have previously reported on the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives turning into a honeypot for performers and propagandists who are ready to promote the war, with over a billion rubles awarded in last year’s award competition.

Putin established the foundation in 2021 to offer state financial support to non-profits, companies and projects in arts and culture.

Over 93,000 Armenians have now fled disputed enclave Nagorno-Karabakh  ABC News

Russian Presidential Foundation Awards $16M to Pro-War Culture Projects  The Moscow Times

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Selected Articles – The News And Times
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Russian Presidential Foundation Awards $16M to Pro-War Culture Projects  The Moscow Times
 
New York subways disrupted as more heavy rain triggers flooding – Reuters
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Heavy rain brings flash floods to New York City
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More than 70% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population flees as future uncertain for those who remain
More than 70% of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh has fled the ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan for neighbouring Armenia, the Armenian government said Friday, as the enclave’s separatist government said it will dissolve itself by the end of the year after a three-decade bid for independence. READ MORE : https://www.euronews.com/2023/09/29/more-than-70-of-nagorno-karabakhs-population-flees-as-future-uncertain-for-those-who-remai…
 

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Heavy rains flood Brooklyn neighborhoods as boro deals with ‘heaviest impacts’ of rainstorm


A state of emergency has been declared in New York City as torrential rains flood streets and subway stations, and Brooklyn is getting some of the worst effects of the raging storm.

The downpour began on Thursday evening, and by Friday morning, as much of three inches of rain had already fallen in Kings County, with at least three to five additional inches expected by nightfall. Officials warned that flash flooding is possible in some areas as rain falls at rates of up to 2.5 inches per hour, and have advised New Yorkers to stay off the roads and seek higher ground if they live in basement apartments.

“Brooklyn is seeing some of the heaviest impacts of this rainstorm — all Brooklynites should be extremely careful right now,” Governor Kathy Hochul said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday morning. 

subway rain stormMost subway service was cancelled in Brooklyn as rainwater covered the tracks. Photo by Susan de Vries

Flood maps showed up to 11 inches of flooding in some parts of Brooklyn on Friday morning as Brooklynites shared photos on social media of subway stations and major roadways filled with water. 

The National Weather Service extended a Flash Flood Warning for Kings County through 12:45 p.m. on Friday, with a flood watch in effect for all of New York City through Saturday morning. The city’s Office of Emergency Management issued a travel advisory, urging New Yorkers to stay home on Friday if possible.

“All New Yorkers need to exercise caution,” said Zach Iscol, NYC Emergency Management commissioner, in a statement.”If you must travel, consider using public transportation and allow for extra travel time, and if you must drive, do not enter flooded roadways. If you live in a basement apartment, especially in a flood prone area, be prepared to move to higher ground.”

The Kings Highway B/Q station has been my home station for years.

Never have I seen literal pools of water from rainfall before. pic.twitter.com/FbVXm8fh4G

— Hunter Rabinowitz 🇺🇦 (@HuntRabinowitz) September 29, 2023

Subway service is suspended on the 1, 2, 4, 5, G, C, and D trains in Brooklyn, with partial suspensions on the F, A, and L lines, according to the MTA. Even on lines still running on Friday, trains are heavily delayed and service is suspended at a number of stations. The agency urged New Yorkers to stay home if they could and check the MTA’s website for service information before heading out. Bus service is also “heavily disrupted.”

Police temporarily closed parts of the Belt Parkway and Prospect Expressway to traffic due to heavy flooding. Videos posted to social media showed vehicles stuck in deep water on the Prospect Expressway near Caton Avenue and at the Park Circle entrance. 

Park Circle, Brooklyn entrance to the Prospect Expressway is completely flooded. Traffic at a standstill. I walked to/from school through rushing waters and 2 ft+ pools of water. This is not normal #nyc pic.twitter.com/7zGoleKk3a

— Pizza Trike (@PizzaTrike) September 29, 2023

Officials urged New Yorkers to stay home if possible and to drive slowly and carefully and avoid flooded roads and subway stations if travel is necessary. Live updates are available online via NotifyNYC, and New Yorkers can also sign up for live text and email alerts from NotifyNYC. 

This is a breaking news story, and will be updated throughout the day. Check back for additional information. 

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Global stock index gains while Treasury yields, dollar dip after inflation data


2023-09-29T15:41:51Z

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

MSCI’S global equities index rose on Friday while U.S. Treasury yields dipped with the dollar after encouraging inflation data from Europe and the United States boosted investor hopes that the Federal Reserve may be done with hiking interest rates.

Underlying U.S. inflation pressures moderated in August, with the annual rise in prices excluding food and energy falling below 4.0% for the first time in more than two years, welcome news for the Fed as it ponders the monetary policy outlook.

In a surprise bout of good news for hawkish central banks, data also showed headline inflation in the euro area rising slower than economist forecasts and at its lowest in two years.

“The big fear has been that we may not be at peak interest rates and that we may still be grappling with inflation. This is a report that suggests peak rates may already be here,” Brian Levitt, global market strategist at Invesco, said.

“The result is that interest rates are down across the U.S. Treasury yield curve. The dollar is weakening as we become less concerned about additional rate hikes. Growth stocks and other longer duration assets are outperforming.”

Traders were betting on an 82.7% probability that the Fed would keep rates steady at its next meeting in November compared with an 80.7% probability on Thursday, according to the latest data from CME Group’s Fedwatch tool.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 78.76 points, or 0.23%, to 33,745.1, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 27.35 points, or 0.64%, to 4,327.05 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 152.39 points, or 1.15%, to 13,353.67.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 0.78% and MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.66%.

In currencies, the dollar was still headed for its biggest quarterly gain in a year but it backed off 10-month highs giving the yen some breathing room as the Japanese currency remains under scrutiny for potential government intervention.

The yen strengthened 0.10% on Friday versus the greenback at 149.13 per dollar. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, fell 0.16%, with the euro up 0.27% to $1.0587.

Sterling was last trading at $1.221, up 0.11% after data showed Britain’s economic performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was stronger than previously thought.

U.S. Treasury yields slid after the inflation reading with benchmark 10-year notes down 7.1 basis points to 4.526%, from 4.597% late on Thursday. The 30-year bond was last down 6.6 basis points to yield 4.6626%, from 4.729%. The 2-year note was last was down 3.4 basis points to yield 5.0373%, from 5.071%.

In energy, oil prices turned lower after rising earlier in the day, driven by tight U.S. supply and expectations of strong fuel demand in China during the Golden Week holiday.

U.S. crude recently fell 1.07% to $90.73 per barrel and Brent was at $95.24, down 0.15% on the day.

In precious metals, spot gold dropped 0.2% to $1,861.79 an ounce. U.S. gold futures fell 0.06% to $1,859.30 an ounce. Earlier it had ticked higher with help from the retreating dollar and Treasury yields after the inflation data, but bullion was still on track for monthly and quarterly declines on prospects of higher U.S. interest rates.

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UAW to expand strike at Ford and GM, cites progress at Stellantis


2023-09-29T15:49:20Z

Striking United Auto Workers (UAW) union workers picket outside the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, U.S., September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery

The United Auto Workers will walk off the job at an additional plant each at General Motors (GM.N) and Ford (F.N), but will spare Stellantis after last-minutes concessions by the Chrysler parent, union president Shawn Fain said on Friday.

The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week, expanding to Ford’s Chicago assembly plant and GM’s Lansing, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement.

That brings the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000, or about 17% of the union’s 146,000 members at the three automakers. The strike will not include any additional members at Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI).

“Despite our willingness to bargain Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress,” Fain said in a video address Friday morning. He noted that prior to his announcement, the UAW had seen a “flurry” of interest from the companies on Friday morning.

Ford and Stellantis did not immediately comment while GM said in an email to employees it still has “not received a comprehensive counteroffer from UAW leadership to our latest proposal made on September 21. Calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress.”

The UAW had been planning to announce a new strike at Stellantis, sources briefed on the matter said, but Fain said moments before he was due to address members at 10 a.m. Stellantis called and made significant changes in its contract proposal.

The Ford and GM plants will strike at noon Friday.

On Thursday, the union made a counter-proposal to Stellantis. Fain cited progress with Stellantis around cost of living allowance payments to offset inflation, as well as right to strike over product commitments and plant closures.

Talks among the UAW and negotiators for the Detroit Three were described as “very active” by one person briefed on the situation, and on Friday Fain said they continue at all three companies.

“To be clear, negotiations haven’t broken down,” he said. “I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal.”

“We are fed up with corporate greed and we are fed up with corporate excess. We are fed up with breaking our bodies for companies that take more and more and give less and less,” he added.

The UAW is expected to continue work stoppages currently under way until a new contract is ratified, a source familiar with the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“What Shawn Fain wanted is a tit for tat: If you’re good for us at the table, we won’t mess with you. If you’re bad with us at the table, we will escalate the strike. So I think it’s having its desired effect,” said Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

The U.S. has seen an uptick in union activism in 2023. Through August – before the UAW strike – 310,000 U.S. workers were involved in work stoppages, putting 2023 on track to become the busiest year for strikes since 2019.

Workers in shipping, entertainment, air and rail industries have pressed for higher wages as unemployment has remained low and as wage growth trailed inflation but executive pay rose dramatically.

The UAW strike is entering its third week as autoworkers push for higher wages and benefits and the elimination of a tiered standard that pays newer workers far less.

Automakers say the union’s demands would hurt their profits as they try to compete with nonunion manufacturers like Tesla.

The union escalated the initial strike on Sept. 22, when workers walked off the job at General Motors and Stellantis distribution facilities in 20 states nationwide. It began on Sept. 15, when workers struck at one plant each from GM, Ford and Stellantis.

The UAW did not strike at Ford distribution facilities last week, citing progress in talks with that company. Ford and UAW negotiators appeared to be close to an agreement this week, but talks stalled during the week, the sources said. Ford’s decision to stop work on a $3.5 billion battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, drew an angry response from Fain.

The union previously shut one assembly plant at each of the Detroit Three, and 38 parts distribution centers at GM and Stellantis. Strikers get $500 a week from the UAW’s strike fund.

Ford and GM shares each gained about 0.5% in trading Friday. Stellantis shares gained 0.8% in trading in Milan.

The effect of these walkouts has been relatively limited compared to the financial hit from halting assembly lines that build Ford F-series, Chevy Silverados and Ram trucks. The UAW’s strategy with its latest expansion of the strike was to cause pain at GM and Ford, but not inflict maximum pain, a source familiar with the thinking said.

Analysts estimate GM, Ford and Stellantis earn as much as $15,000 per vehicle on each of their respective large pickup truck models.

“It shouldn’t affect volumes too much. It’s another warning,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. “They haven’t hit the meat of the profits.”

The UAW has taken a new approach with walkouts to turn up pressure on the automakers. Rather than the hammer blow of a mass walkout, the UAW has used strikes like a ratchet, keeping company executives guessing where the next turn would come.

The union and the companies remain far apart on key economic issues. Fain has stuck with a demand for 40% pay hikes over a four-year contract, a position supported by President Joe Biden during a visit to Detroit on Tuesday. The companies have countered with offers of about 20%.

The UAW also is pushing automakers to eliminate the two-tier wage system, under which new hires can earn far less than veterans.

The Ford assembly plant in Chicago builds the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs, while the GM plant in Lansing makes the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs.

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Flooding after storm in New York disrupts city’s public transit


(NewsNation) — New York’s metropolitan area saw intense flooding Friday that shut down parts of the city’s subway system and cut off access to roads and at least one terminal at LaGaurdia Airport.

NewsNation local affiliate PIX 11 reports flooding has been reported in multiple neighborhoods and towns near New York City after a major coastal storm. Flooding was also reported around Hoboken, New Jersey.

Up to 5 inches of rain fell in some areas overnight. As many as 7 inches could come throughout the day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

“This is a dangerous, life-threatening storm,” Hochul said in an interview with TV station NY1. “Count on this for the next 20 hours.”

On Twitter Friday morning, Hochul said she’s declaring a state of emergency across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

“Please take steps to stay safe and remember to never attempt to travel on flooded roads,” she wrote.

A flash flood warning is in place for Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon until 1:15 p.m. EDT.

New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs subway and commuter rail lines, urged residents to stay home if they could.

There were about 17 subway lines suspended or partially suspended because of flooding, PIX wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.

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The assassinations that forged Dianne Feinstein’s political path


(NewsNation) — Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who broke gender barriers throughout her more than 30-year career in local and national politics, has died at the age of 90.

Before her election to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein was elected the first female mayor of San Francisco. She became mayor following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk, the first gay elected official in California.

Moscone’s killing and its aftermath helped propel Feinstein’s political career.

At the time, Feinstein was the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and confidante of Dan White, a former supervisor who quit his seat but later wanted it back. Moscone planned to appoint someone else and notified Feinstein on the morning of Nov. 27, 1978.

Later that day, Feinstein was at her desk at City Hall and tried to explain the decision to White as he walked by, but she didn’t know he had just shot and killed the mayor.

“I saw him come in. I said, ‘Dan, can I talk to you?’ And he went by, and I heard the door close,” Feinstein recalled in a later interview. “And I heard the shots and smelled the cordite, and I came out of my office. Dan went right by me. Nobody was around, every door was closed.”

Feinstein found Milk’s body and searched for a pulse. “My finger went into a bullet hole in his wrist,” she recalled in a later interview with the Los Angeles Times.

She was the first to announce the murders to the press.

On that day in 1978, Feinstein had returned to City Hall after a three-week absence. She had run for mayor of San Francisco twice.

Due to the city’s succession law, Feinstein was appointed mayor a week later. She held office for nine years before losing a bid for California governor in 1990.

Feinstein’s trailblazing political career continued to be marked by a series of historic firsts.

She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat.

One of Feinstein’s most significant legislative accomplishments was early in her career, when the Senate approved her amendment to ban manufacturing and sales of certain types of assault weapons as part of a crime bill that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994. Though the assault weapons ban expired 10 years later and was never renewed or replaced, it was a poignant win after her career had been significantly shaped by gun violence.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will appoint her interim successor, released a statement on Feinstein’s passing. In it, the governor boasts about Feinstein’s leadership and effectiveness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Menendez Indictment Looks Like Egypt Recruiting Intelligence Source, Say Former CIA Officials


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Media coverage of embattled New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment has focused on things like gold bars and wads of cash found stuffed in his clothing — the cartoonish elements of the corruption allegations leveled by the Department of Justice.

National security experts, however, say the indictment’s reference to Egyptian intelligence officials and Menendez’s disclosure of “highly sensitive” and “non-public” information to Egyptian officials suggest that, more than a garden-variety corruption scheme, there may be an intelligence element to the charges.

Egypt’s elicitation of information resembles a textbook recruitment pass, an intelligence operation intended to recruit an asset, four former CIA officers told The Intercept.

According to the indictment, Menendez, chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was sometimes asked to supply information to an Egyptian businessman who would then communicate it to Egyptian officials. The most sensitive information Menendez is accused of sharing appears to be about staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

“The request could well be one step in testing his willingness to break rules and laws, and therefore possibly assist Egyptian intelligence in more covert and damaging ways.”

“Menendez sharing embassy staffing information is extremely troubling on a number of levels: It assists Egyptian security services monitoring the embassy and, more importantly, may suggest they viewed Menendez as a source,” said John Sipher, a retired CIA clandestine service officer and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “The request could well be one step in testing his willingness to break rules and laws and therefore, possibly assist Egyptian intelligence in more covert and damaging ways.”

Michael van Landingham, a former CIA analyst, told The Intercept, “Reading the indictment, it certainly appears like the Egyptian government was using a classic source-recruitment pattern to get Menendez and his wife to spy for them.”

The former officials’ remarks comes amid a report from a local New York news channel that the FBI has opened a counterintelligence investigation into Menendez. (Menendez, who plead not guilty on Wednesday, did not respond to a request for comment.)

“Senator Menendez’s chairmanship of foreign relations puts him in a bullseye position for foreign intelligence services that are looking to have him make decisions in their favor including military equipment and material decisions on funding,” Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, told NBC. “All of that should be looked at from a counterintelligence perspective.” (The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.)

Since spies operate under diplomatic cover, embassies are an attractive target for intelligence services. Former CIA operations officers speaking on condition of anonymity described how recruitment passes tend to work. The requests start out small — often for information that’s not public, but not necessarily classified — in order to establish what’s called “responsiveness to tasking,” or willingness to collect intelligence on their behalf. Once responsiveness is established, a series of increasingly serious taskings culminates in a “spot payment,” or bribe, which cements the illicit nature of the relationship and can be used as blackmail.

The indictment describes Menendez meeting with the Egyptian businessman Wael Hana and, later that day, seeking nonpublic information from the State Department regarding the number and nationality of people working in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. That information was later passed to what the indictment describes as an “Egyptian government official.” In another case, according to the indictment, Menendez’s wife Nadine, who was then his girlfriend, passed on a request from Egyptian government officials to the senator. And through Hana, Menendez was introduced to Egyptian intelligence and military officials under the auspices of increasing American food aid to Egypt.

Though not classified, the information about staffing in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo is described in the indictment as “highly sensitive because it could pose significant operational security concerns if disclosed to a foreign government or if made public.” Without notifying his personal staff, the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he chaired at the time, or the State Department, Menendez allegedly transmitted a detailed breakdown of the embassy staff to Nadine, who forwarded the message to Hana, who forwarded it to an Egyptian official.

“Menendez as SFRC chair would have definitely known that you shouldn’t share non-public information about something as sensitive as the make-up of an American Embassy in Cairo,” Ben Rhodes, a former top aide in President Barack Obama’s White House, told The Intercept by email. “He is supposed to oversee in part the safety of our diplomats overseas!”

The FBI is reportedly trying to ascertain whether Egyptian intelligence played a role in the bribery scheme for which Menendez is being charged. Hana’s lawyer, Larry Lustberg, has denied that Hana is linked to Egyptian intelligence and maintains that Hana and Nadine Menendez had been friends for years. (Nadine Menendez did not respond to a request for comment.)

To the former U.S. intelligence officials that spoke with The Intercept, the events described in the indictment bear the hallmarks of an effort to recruit an intelligence source. “As an analyst, when you receive a human source report, it comes with a sourcing statement that evaluates the source’s relative position, reliability, access to information, responsiveness to tasking, and track record,” said van Landingham, the former CIA analyst.

James Lawler, a former CIA operations officer and counterproliferation chief specializing in the recruitment of former spies, similarly described the events in the indictment as fitting the pattern of source recruitment.

“As a case officer, I would be looking to establish a solid relationship with future tasking potential (i.e. going for the long play) but cognizant that it may be only a one off,” Lawler told The Intercept in an email. “That said, we’re talking about the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee! Talk about access! If I were the intel officer, I’d be delighted and thinking I’m going to be promoted!”

He added, “It’s how I recruited assets.”

Daniel Schuman, policy director of Demand Progress, said that overseas recruitment attempts are commonplace. For this reason, he explained, members of Congress and even congressional staffers are routinely offered counterintelligence briefings.

Menendez, in one case described in the indictment, sought to travel to Egypt unofficially and without supervision from the State Department. A trip under such circumstances runs contrary to reporting requirements under the Senate Security Manual.

The three-count federal indictment against Mendendez, unsealed on Friday, paints a damning picture of pay-to-play access with a wide cast of characters, ranging from allies of the Egyptian government to an associate of the tristate-area mob. Three business associates and Nadine Menendez are all named in the legal filing, which claims that Menendez used his position of power to influence federal appointments and protect his longtime friend, Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer, financier, and longtime Menendez fundraiser.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was joined by Menendez’s fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, in calling for his resignation. “The details of the allegations against Senator Menendez are of such a nature that the faith and trust of New Jerseyans as well as those he must work with in order to be effective have been shaken to the core,” Booker said. “I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving.”

“Due process is a legal right, but nobody has a right to be a senator. Not being in the Senate isn’t a punishment.”

Booker’s comments follow those made by Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the first Democratic senator to call for Menendez’s resignation. Fetterman said he would try to return campaign donations from Menendez in $100 bills stuffed into envelopes like those discovered in Menendez’s house by federal investigators.

Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the charges against Menendez “formidable” and has said “it would probably be a good idea if he did resign.” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate’s second-highest ranking official, has also called for Menendez to step down. Still, high-ranking officials like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have not called for his resignation. In a statement, Schumer said Menendez is “a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey,” adding that Menendez has a right to due process.

Schuman, of Demand Progress, pointed out that questions around Menendez’s legal proceedings are separate from questions of his position in the Senate. “Due process is a legal right, but nobody has a right to be a senator,” he said. “Not being in the Senate isn’t a punishment.”

Menendez has denied the charges, maintaining that the cash seized by authorities was from his personal savings account that he kept for emergencies “because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba.” Menendez, who was born in New York City, also said, “Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. senator and serve with honor and distinction.”

Update: September 27, 2023, 2:03 p.m.
This story has been updated to include a statement from former top Obama administration adviser Ben Rhodes that was received after publication.

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FBI probing whether Egyptian intelligence played a role in Menendez case


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The FBI is investigating whether Egypt’s intelligence services might have been involved in the alleged bribery scheme described in the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The counterintelligence investigation is in addition to the federal corruption case that accuses Menendez, D-N.J., of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, the sources said. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez helped oversee billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Egypt. He stepped down as chairman after he was indicted.

Investigators want to know whether Egyptian intelligence officials or their associates tried to gain access to Menendez through his wife, Nadine, the sources said.

According to a three-count indictment unsealed last week, Menendez accepted lavish bribes to wield his political position for the benefit the Egyptian government and to enrich a group of Egyptian American businessmen named as co-defendants.

The three New Jersey-based businessmen named as co-defendants, who are accused of providing bribes from “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in gold bars to a Mercedes-Benz convertible worth more than $60,000, are Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.

Uribe and Daibes are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, along with Menendez and his wife.

Hana was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York City.

Hana’s lawyer, Larry Lustberg, denied that Hana has ties to Egyptian intelligence. He said that Hana and Nadine Menendez have been friends for years — and that the friendship will be part of their defense against the bribery charges.

Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. Menendez and his wife face an additional charge of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

A lawyer for Nadine Menendez declined to comment when asked whether she might have been used by Egyptian intelligence officials. Menendez’s Senate office did not respond to requests for comment.

Frank Figliuzzi, an NBC News security analyst and former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, said Menendez’s post atop the Foreign Relations Committee put him “in a bull’s-eye position for foreign intelligence services that are looking to have him make decisions in their favor, including military equipment and materiel decisions on funding.”

“The question here is whether this all started chronologically with the senator’s marriage, with the senator needing plausible deniability or an arm’s length from any transactions that might be happening with intelligence operatives,” Figliuzzi said. “All of that should be looked at from a counterintelligence perspective.”

Menendez has denied all of the charges and has resisted calls to resign.

The Egyptian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

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Toxic Relationships: The Jilted Lover Syndrome


Many women remember being in a toxic relationship where they were stalked and harassed by a toxic lover. Here’s how the law can protect you from a jilted lover.

We don’t have to live in dread of a vengeful jilted lover. Instead, we can start letting go of a toxic relationship by empowering ourselves to tackle toxic lovers using legal means, writes Pallavi Bhattacharya.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”.

Those immortal lines from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens were by the character, Sydney Carton, who sacrifices his life for the happiness of Lucie, the woman he loves deeply.

Sydney Carton is a rare exception as far as unrequited lovers are concerned. But most jilted lovers have a hard time coping with rejection. In fact, some turn deadly when rejected.

On November 23rd, 2007, the story of alleged double murder and suicide by a businessman after a breakup with his model girlfriend hit the headlines of all national dailies of India.

Avinash Patnaik, a 22-year-old wealthy businessman from Rourkela in Orissa met 23-year-old Moon Das, a beautiful model from Mumbai at a New Year Eve’s party in Rourkela in 2006. According to Moon, Avinash was ‘this small-town guy who was curious and excited about life in a big city like Mumbai’.

Before long Avinash and Moon were boyfriend and girlfriend. Moon narrated how Avinash would love to flaunt her among his friends and even ask her to dress and behave boldly.

However, the situation completely changed when Avinash visited Mumbai to stay with Moon. He turned into an overly possessive lover who expressed disapproval in the way Moon dressed and her going out for shoots. They constantly fought.

Moon says that Avinash even hit her in the presence of her friends leaving bruises. Moon, therefore, decided to break up with Avinash. Avinash started suspecting that there was another man in Moon’s life. He had even thought of hiring a detective to follow her. He threatened Moon that he would commit suicide if Moon didn’t take him back.

In November 2007, Avinash drove all the way from Orissa to Mumbai to see Moon for the very last time. He had a gun with him. It is believed that Avinash got into an altercation with Moon’s mother and uncle and killed both of them in a fit of rage.

According to news reports the police have suspected that Avinash was waiting for Moon to return home so that he could kill her too thereby completing his revenge for she had rejected him. When Moon came home late at night she was frightened on seeing Avinash’s parked car.

Fearing that danger had befallen her family she rushed to her apartment door. She took her male friend with her to open the door. When she rung the doorbell, Avinash opened it a crack armed with a pistol.

Moon and her friend promptly latched the door and rushed to the police station. When the police arrived, to their horror they discovered that Avinash had killed Moon’s mother and uncle and had then shot himself dead.

The third bullet which was meant for Moon was ultimately used by Avinash to kill himself. Maybe Avinash had realized that if arrested he could easily get the death penalty for his murders. That is why he may have committed suicide.

Both Sydney Carton and Avinash Patnaik died for the woman they loved. However, there is a major difference in how they chose to die. Sydney was mature enough to realize that he didn’t necessarily have to be with Lucie to love her.

He respected her decision to marry someone else and even gave his life so that she could live happily ever after with her husband. Avinash instead ruined his lady love’s life. “Avinash has killed my soul,” Moon told an English daily.

We all have been following this news. We feel deeply sorry for Moon but how many of us think that we may also be the victim of a jilted lover with a murderous streak?

Many women remember being in a toxic relationship where they were stalked and harassed by former lovers who just can’t take ‘no’ for an answer. But we don’t have to live in dread of a vengeful, jilted lover.

Instead, we can learn how to let go of a toxic relationship and empower ourselves to tackle these toxic lovers using legal means.

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Tell-tale signs of a toxic relationship

What are the signs you’re in a toxic relationship? Jilted lovers who turn stalkers don’t necessarily come with a sinister facial expression and robust physical build. In fact, Avinash looks docile and quite handsome in his photograph with Moon.

His parents and friends find it difficult to believe that a ‘nice boy’ like him could have killed two people. It’s true that looks mislead and we should rather be on the watch for some psychological traits that vengeful lovers seem to have.

Psychologist Pransenjit Kamble says: “These kinds of lovers have low self-esteem. The chronic emotional state that these lovers go through is fear. Most of the time this person is scared of one thing or the other. He may be scared of being without a job, then of having nobody with him and then maybe about being found out by someone for no reason at all.”

They may be afraid that the relationship may fall apart and always try hard to salvage it by any means possible. It is this fear that makes these lovers overtly possessive and suspicious. Their insecurity may make them abusive.

Consulting Psychiatrist, Dr Bharati Patil, warns, “Don’t get emotionally and physically involved with men like these as breaking the relationship may be very difficult later from both sides.”

It’s rather dangerous to stay on with an abusive and clingy lover hoping that he will change. Moon confessed that she confided about Avinash’s dark side to his elder brother, Pritam, who told her that only Moon could bring a change in him. In hindsight, we can see how far Pritam’s prophecy was from the truth.

Jilted lovers who turn into stalkers aren’t in the frame of mind to understand that there is something wrong with them. They don’t generally visit psychologists for help. So putting up with a toxic relationship like this and tolerating their toxic love may be simply digging your own grave.

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Why do jilted lovers seek revenge?

Prasenjit probes into the psyche that makes jilted lovers commit a heinous crime as murder. “The kind of love these people show is borne out of low self-esteem. When these people fall in love they feel it is a good thing to hang on to. The moment they see the person they love moving away from them they get possessive about it.”

“Murder just happens in a fit. They are so overpowered with rage because the girl has rejected him that he forgets everything else. Their state of mind when they commit murder is similar to someone who is dancing at top speed totally oblivious of what is happening around them.”

Prabha Christdoss, Director of the Women’s Welfare Society of the Diocese of Mumbai says, “The love of these stalkers is not true love. It is just attraction. Maybe they think of a woman as the weaker sex who doesn’t have a choice and the right to say no. So when rejected they want to punish or hurt the girl.”

Don’t show your stalker that you are afraid of him. Prasenjit explains, “Stalkers get all the more encouraged if their victim seems to be frightened. Success at harassing the girl gives them a sense of power.”

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Horrific real-life tales of stalking

Kathy was stalked by a listener when she worked in the broadcasting sector. She was flooded with emails from him, which, before long, escalated to sending pornographic photographs with Kathy’s face replacing those of the women in the magazines.

Phone calls by this person to Kathy’s workplace continued, describing her entire day, what she wore, where she ate and whom she spoke to. Kathy informed the police when he sent her a soiled pair of men’s underwear with a shredded rose. The man was found months later.

Kathy recalls, “He had been at my workplace many times when I was co-producing a mid-day show. I thought he was a really sweet guy, he was also a huge help during a charity. Had he asked me out for a friendly coffee, I would not have thought twice about meeting him. To this day, I never recognized his voice on the phone. Ladies should take self-defence classes to protect themselves from stalkers like these.”

Julie Gray (name changed) narrates how frightening it was to be stalked. She says, “My ex-husband who turned stalker sent flowers to my new job as a way to demonstrate that he knew how to find me. He even got a copy of my credit report. He faxed weird messages to my parents’ place of business. When he still couldn’t find me he called up my best friend in another state and described the interior of her new office to which she had the only key.”

Julie warned her ex-husband that she would tell his new wife how he was harassing her. That put a stop to the harassment. “I still remember how scary it was to be under constant observation but never knowing when or how. That is why I am trained in hand to hand combat,” says Julie.

Linda Reeves (name changed) was actually stalked by a woman. Her stalker who suffered from a gender identity crisis was in the process of becoming a male. Linda clearly told her that she was married and not a lesbian.

However, her stalker would still show up at odd hours of the night and leave more than 15 messages daily on her phone. She spread rumours that Linda was getting a divorce from her husband. Her stalker’s brother and Linda’s husband failed in trying to convince her to leave Linda alone.

Instead, the stalker threatened to hurt Linda. She followed Linda to church a Sunday morning and pulled over to her vehicle over three times. Linda then complained to the police and got a restraining order on her from the judge.

Linda says, “The stalking has stopped now but it was a very bad experience for me for a couple of months. People need to remember men and women can be stalked by even their own sex.”

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Cyberstalking: A very real threat

Model, Ashleysha Yesugade, was flooded with friends’ requests from weird people on Orkut. She says, “I am on Orkut only to keep in touch with my friends and a few fans but lately there have been too many odd people asking me to add them to my friend’s list. I do not approve them unless I find them genuine.”

“If I reject them, they claim to be my biggest fan, and the height is when then they say they are into model co-ordination, direction and want to meet me rather than my manager. It’s funny when people do this. I have realized that if I reject, they even make fake accounts using my pictures.”

When asked as to why cyberstalking is on the rise, Prasenjit says, “Lives have become monotonous as a result of computerisation. That makes people want to seek out adventure but at the same time they don’t want to be found out.”

Fake profiles infest social networking sites like Orkut. A man may stalk you with the profile name of a woman. Or all the friends in someone’s friend’s list may be fake profiles of himself. A person you rejected from an online dating site may also create a fake profile that impresses you to communicate with you.

Cyberstalkers may repeatedly mail you, post defamatory and derogatory statements about you on message boards and guest books. They may also create fake blogs in your name posting defamatory and pornographic content.

They may trace your IP address to verify your home or place of employment. Or they may hack into your email account. Before long online stalking may turn to offline stalking.

But there are some precautions you can take to prevent cyberstalking. Be very careful with whom you share personal information. Choose a difficult password comprising numbers, symbols and letters and make it at least six characters.

Change your password frequently. Memorise it instead of writing it down in a notebook. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Make sure that only you know the answer to the secret question protecting your password.

If you are a woman, avoid usernames that clearly indicate that you are female. Don’t post your real photograph online without watermarking it as it easily may be misused. Also, a photograph will make it a piece of cake for your stalker to identify you in real life.

Update yourself on how the social network you are a part of deals with charges of stalking and abuse. Register a complaint if harassed. You should report an incident of stalking to the system administrator of both your Internet Service Provider with the ISP of the stalker or harasser.

Stalkers however sometimes try to conceal their tracks by forging their e-mail headers. On receiving an abusive e-mail visit SpamCop. This free service analyzes your unwanted e-mail to determine its point of origin and can generate a report that will be e-mailed to the appropriate system administrator.

CyberSnitch may also be used to report Internet abuse and duly send a report to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Report an abusive stalker to the Cyber Crime Cell of the police.

Save all abusive messages to register a complaint. Even if, by chance, you have deleted the abusive emails, do register a complaint, as they can be retrieved.

Cyberstalking often occurs in cyber cafes, especially if the cyber café isn’t responsible enough to keep a record of the photo identity proof of the user.

So if you visit a cyber café that doesn’t ask for your photo identity proof, register a complaint against it at the nearest police station. That’s what you can do as a responsible citizen to prevent cyberstalking.

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Safety precautions to avoid being stalked

Dr Bharati Patil advises, “If you are being harassed by a stalker then don’t travel alone. Inform friends and family that you are being harassed.” If necessary take a different route to your workplace if you think that your stalker will be waiting in the way.

The home security measures that you can abide by:

  • keeping the doors, windows and garage locked
  • changing window and door locks
  • replacing steel doors with metal doors
  • fixing fire extinguishers near your doors and learning how to use them as ‘intruder repellents’
  • fixing burglar alarms
  • getting a dog and
  • storing emergency numbers on your home and cellular phone.

Some women have changed their phone numbers, have opted for a private mailbox for snail mail and have even changed their address.

However, the truth is that you can’t go on living in constant fear and trying to hide from your stalker throughout your life. Your stalker needs a strong intervention to stop. And only police or legal intervention may be able to do so.

How to get out of a toxic relationship

As these horrific stories show, staying in a toxic relationship can be life-threatening. But when you’ve decided that you’re finally leaving the toxic relationship and want to end your relationship with a clingy lover, you have to plan this step carefully.

If you’re wondering how to end the toxic relationship, it’s best to tell your former partner, clearly but politely, that the relationship is over. Don’t break off ties abruptly without informing him.

Psychologist Prasenjit cautions, “Silence just worsens matters. Silence means non-responsiveness. Nobody really wants to be given a communication break. Silence makes obsessed lovers even more problematic.”

However, a jilted lover may still refuse to take no for an answer. His loving messages may abruptly change to hateful, abusive, and threatening messages. He may call from various numbers when you aren’t taking his call.

In a situation like this psychiatrist, Dr Bharati Patil advises, “When he calls tell him that you know very well who is calling. Inform him that whether he calls from the same number or various numbers your answer will be the same- that the relationship is over.”

When you’re letting go of a toxic relationship, you should send a polite but firm letter to a jilted lover who won’t give up on you, telling him clearly that you don’t want any communication from him in person and through letters, gifts, emails, SMSes and phone calls.

Prasenjit advises, “The mail shouldn’t be too formal. It should be in the similar style you generally write to him. However, it should come with a little bit of strictness emphasizing that you really mean it when you are asking him to stay away from you. Sending this mail is legal proof that the girl has told him in very clear words that she doesn’t want any communication from him. Second, that the guy is stalking her despite being told not to do so.”

There are various ways in which the stalker may react to this letter. He may stop harassing you or still continue to do so. Prasenjit feels, “The stalker may lie low for a while and later resurface. Or he will burn with revenge.”

According to Prasenjit making your parents talk to them warning them to stay away from you doesn’t really work. Prasenjit advises, “Making your parents talk to him maybe a good option in the initial stages. However most of the time it has been seen that this just doesn’t work. The guy isn’t really in a position to listen to anyone as his psychological state is one of heightened activity. He is very high on his hormones especially adrenaline. That makes him blind to most things.”

“Your relatives may try to keep him away only using language which he may easily turn a deaf ear to. But the police have an aura of authenticity around them that really can’t be ignored. So if the police warn him it may bring him out of the state of reverie he goes into.”

It’s easy to tell someone don’t stay in a toxic relationship. But the threat of violence is greatest when you leave a toxic relationship. That is why many women hesitate to leave their abusers.

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Police and legal intervention in stalking

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Prakash Wani, explains the nature of the offence committed in the case of stalking, “Simply stalking is not an offence but if stalking is with the intention of crime is an offence. Stalking can be both a cognizable or non-cognizable offence.”

“Section 354 of Indian Penal Code says whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman intending to outrage or knowing it is likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty commits a cognizable offence.”

“Section 509 of Indian Penal Code says whoever intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture or exhibits any object intending that such a word or sound shall be heard or that such a gesture or object shall be seen by such a woman or intrudes upon the privacy of such a woman commits a cognizable offence.”

“Section 504 of Indian Penal Code says whoever intentionally insult and thereby gives provocation to the person intending or knowing that it is likely that such a provocation will cause to break the public peace or to commit any other offence has committed a non-cognizable offence. If the stalker threatens a woman through SMS, phone calls, emails that he will murder, rape, molest or throw acid on her may commit a cognizable or non-cognizable offence or its situation on merit.”

If your toxic lover threatens that he will commit suicide if you don’t reunite with him complain to the police immediately. This kind of blackmail has been glamorised in Bollywood movies, where the rejected lover and society often puts the blame on the girl for saying no and compels her to take her lover back.

But if you do return to your jilted lover in real life the consequence can be deadly. Nor do you want to be accused of the abetment of suicide just in case he causes deliberate self-harm, or in an exceptional case does kill himself.

Take a trustworthy person with you for emotional support when you go to the police station to register your complaint. He or she may be a family member, friend or witness to you having been stalked.

Take all the evidence you have like abusive messages, a record of the exact time of phone calls and maybe photographs of the stalker while in the act. If your stalker is driving behind you or trying to enter your house film him on your mobile phone to record the act.

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What happens after registering a complaint with the police station?

Mr Wani answers, “On a complaint being lodged by a woman for being stalked by a man in a cognizable offence way, the accused may be arrested without a warrant. In a non-cognizable offence, the action taken depends on the gravity of the situation of the complainant. The accused may be advised to approach the proper court of law or the police may enforce action by asking the accused to deposit the amount of a fine, imposed as per the provision made under certain sections of the local act.”

“Once the complaint is made to the police officer the police are bound to register the same. At the time of registering the offence, the section of law shall be applied on the merit of evidence or accordingly it shall be decided whether it needs investigation or not. Deleted emails, SMS can be retrieved, verified if the offence is of cognizable nature. This procedure takes official time as per the circumstances and the case.”

If by chance you see your stalker right behind you in a public place with the intention to harass you immediately complain to the nearest police station or policeman on duty. If he is following you in a desolate street late at night, use your self-defence skills.

What can you do if stalking continues even after registering a complaint?

Solicitor & Advocate, Nityaoah S Mehta, advises, “If stalking follows despite the police complaint you need to maintain a police diary. You need to give feedback on whatever messages you receive and other instances of stalking on a daily basis. That makes it easier for the police to take an action. Thereafter, all the complaints together with the daily dairy record can then be converted into an FIR for immediate action by the Police.”

Mr Wani says, “In spite of initial action such as warning or a fine as per the merit of case imposed on a stalker if he continues stalking a woman, a preventive action can be initiated against him under section 107 of Criminal procedure Code which is dealt by Special Executive magistrate.”

“The Special Executive magistrate is empowered to get the executed bond from such a person with or without conditional surety. If such a stalker fails to execute a bond for his good behaviour the Special Executive Magistrate can send him to jail maximum for the period of six months until he furnishes the bond.”

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The responsibility of the stalker’s family

According to Moon, she had complained about Avinash to his family but they took no action. Avinash’s family still can’t believe that their son could have committed murder and are trying hard to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Avinash Patnaik’s profile on Orkut has been hacked.

The hacker has used abusive language to describe Moon. Scraps have come in blaming Moon to the extent of accusing her to be the murderer who framed Avinash. Though police reports point to Avinash’s guilt, a section of society seems to want to believe otherwise. Maybe this shows a lack of empathy Indian society has for girls who have been stalked.

Dr Bharati Patil has this piece of advice for the families of stalkers, “If the family receives complaints that their son is stalking someone they should supervise his activities. They should be on the lookout for changes in his activities and behaviour like being busy with too many calls, not coming home on time, not sleeping well and easily getting irritated. Delusional lovers need counselling and medication to prevent them from continuing to stalk. So the family should take them to a psychiatrist and psychologist right away.”

How to heal from a toxic relationship

Moon has been felicitated by the Lions Club of Mumbai for her presence of mind and bravery in being able to trap her armed ex-boyfriend at her Andheri apartment thereby being able to save her own life.

Moon said that on seeing Avinash with a revolver in hand she pushed him inside and locked the door from outside with the help of her friend Romesh. Despite her tragedy, she is firm that she won’t leave Mumbai and relocate to her hometown.

Moon was one of the lucky ones and she is now free from her toxic relationship. She will make it big in Mumbai as she wants her late mother’s wish to see her as a successful actress come true. But there are other girls like Moon who are still healing from the trauma their stalker has caused them.

Pransenjit describes the fearful state of mind the victims of stalkers are in, “Psychologically they are always on their toes. Anything and everything means danger to them. This is not a state of mind anyone can stay in for a long time.”

“However if adequate care is not taken to rehabilitate the person mentally, the disturbances may continue to haunt them in the future interfering with their normal lives. Hence psychological intervention is a must for such cases along with familial support.”

Healing from toxic relationships is not easy. Victims of stalking may therefore need to visit a psychologist to help them heal. Maybe the stalker may make them fearful of getting into another toxic relationship after a toxic relationship.

But the truth is that not all jilted lovers turn aggressive. There are also many who can accept rejection and move on with their lives. So victims of stalking shouldn’t start mistrusting the whole world, but empower themselves to identify potential stalkers and how to deal with them.

Also read:

Legal Rights For Women In India

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Read more articles on domestic violence in India:

Signs Youre In A Toxic Relationship

The post Toxic Relationships: The Jilted Lover Syndrome first appeared on The News And Times – thenewsandtimes.com.