Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM 05/17/21 Monday This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia. ‘Our Hands Won’t Get Covered in Blood’: Italian Port Workers Hold Up Israel-Bound Weapons Cargo by Gabv Arancibia Tensions between Israel and Hamas have recently reached a new boiling point, with thousands of rockets being exchanged between the two parties despite repeated calls from world leaders for a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier called for military operations to continue “as long as needed to restore quiet and security.” Union workers in the Italian cities of Livorno and Naples recently declared that they would not be assisting in the loading of an arms shipment headed to the Israeli port of Ashdod, citing Israel’s continued air strikes against the Gaza Strip. In a recent statement issued by L’Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), one of Italy’s rank-and-file unions founded in 2010, stated that it had received information revealing that the Asiatic Island, a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, was carrying “containers loaded with weapons and explosives” destined for Ashdod. “Weapons and explosives that will be used to kill the Palestinian population already hit by a severe attack this very night which caused hundreds of victims among the civilian population, including many children,” the USB statement, which is partly named “no to the transit of weapons ship in our port,” reads. The USB release cites intelligence from the Autonomous Port Workers Collective of Genoa and The Weapon Watch, a Genoa-based watchdog whose focus is the transit of arms in European and Mediterranean ports. “We have sent urgent reports to the Port Authority, the Harbor Master's Office and the Occupational Medicine ASL so that they can immediately carry out the appropriate checks,” the statement continues. “Work is important, especially in these times, but this cannot make us close our eyes, or worse still, make us complicit in the continuing massacres of the civilian population.” After initial reports regarding the USB’s efforts, reports surfaced detailing that the weapons shipment was later loaded in the southern Italian port city of Naples. However, the shipment prompted a similar response from workers associated with the SI Cobas union. A Monday-issued statement from SI Cobas blasts the transit of any weapons through Italian ports heading toward Israel, noting that “these weapons help feed wars and profits against the Palestinian people that has suffered for decades a ruthless repression by the state of Israel.” “We denounce the complicity of the Italian government and almost all parliamentary forces with the Israeli aggression. We denounce the Italian state’s silent approval of the transit of Israeli war weaponry through our ports,” SI Cobas states. “Our hands won’t get covered in blood to support your wars.” Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM Citing Channel 12, the Times of Israel reported on Monday that Israeli officials are in the process of attempting to get the shipments released “as soon as possible,” adding that the initiative by union workers is being seen as “economic warfare.” The latest development also comes as reports detailed that the White House had approved a $735 million arms package to Israel that is said to include Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Over the last week, deadly rocket exchanges between Hamas’ military wing and the Israel Defense Forces have prompted the deaths of nearly 200 Palestinians, many of whom were children. While the Palestinian Red Crescent has stated that over 1,300 Palestinians have been injured amid the heightened tensions, Israel has reported the deaths of 10 Israelis and injuries to 50 residents. Despite repeated calls from world leaders for a ceasefire, Israel has vowed to continue its strikes against the Gaza Strip. Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi relayed to regional leaders that fighting would continue for at least another two days, but that it would go on “as long as it must.” Efforts by regional neighbors to broker a ceasefire deal are ongoing. This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia. Video: New Jersey Wildfire Ravages Hundreds of Acres Amid Containment Efforts by Gabv Arancibia On average, some 1,500 wildfires break out in New Jersey and consume an estimated 7,000 acres of land throughout the course of a year, according to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. The height of the Garden State’s wildfire season is seen from March through May. Dozens of firefighters in New Jersey have been deployed near the Jersey Shore to combat a raging wildfire that has scorched hundreds of acres after erupting in the Little Egg Harbor Township over the weekend. The wildfire was first detected around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, and had consumed some 70 acres of a forested area with limited accessibility, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Approximately 100 structures were considered at risk, with local evacuations being considered on a voluntary basis. Although some 16 volunteer forest fire companies and additional assistance from the state were dispersed to the area, the wildfire did manage to grow in size, burning an estimated 617 acres in the Little Egg Harbor Township and the neighboring Bass River State Forest. A Monday update by state officials revealed that the fire was 40% contained, and that the outbreak had not caused any serious injuries or property damages. No fatalities have been reported either. A release issued by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service revealed that firefighters had created a “containment area by setting small, controlled fires around the main fire” that effectively helped to establish a “buffer between structures and the main fire.” To date, only 30 structures are believed to be threatened by the wildfire. Officials have warned that smoke will likely remain “visible for some time as the fire smolders for several days.” Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM The cause of the fire is still unknown, as investigations into the cause are ongoing. New Jersey is no stranger to wildfires. In 2020, wildfires torched roughly 4,800 acres across the state. In May 2007, a blaze broke out in southern New Jersey from a flare ignited by a New Jersey Air National Guard F-16 during a training exercise. The fire charred over 18,000 acres and destroyed six homes. This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia. Grim Reaper Cometh: Over 745,000 People Have Died From Working Long Hours, WHO Reveals Years in the making, the onset of the gig economy and the growing use of telework has allowed individuals to fall into a “can’t stop, won’t stop” mindset when it comes to work and climbing the corporate ladder. However, not all upward mobility is a bed of roses. Long working hours are a severe occupational hazard for the global workforce, one that has been linked to the death of over 745,000 individuals around the world, a new study by the World Health Organization has found. The findings, published on Monday, determined that individuals working 55 hours or more each week have an estimated 35% higher risk of stroke when compared to those who work between 35 and 40 hours weekly. Overworked employees also had a 17% higher chance of death by heart disease. Although standard working hours vary between countries, the more widely-accepted weekly work period does not typically extend past 50 hours. Published in the journal Environmental International, the global study examined various studies on heart disease and stroke, in addition to more than 2,300 surveys on working behaviors that were conducted in over 150 countries, starting from the 1970s. An analysis of the data found that middle-age men had the highest health burdens, with people working in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific having the highest exposure to overwork. Workers in Europe had the lowest exposure levels. Approximately 745,194 deaths were attributed to working over 55 hours a week, as researchers estimated that the cases amounted to some 4.9% of all recorded human deaths. "Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, stated in a statement accompanying a Monday release on the study. “No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers.” Although the study did not compile data during 2020, when much of the world was thrust into teleworking amid the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers noted in their findings that the pandemic is likely to accelerate trends causing employee overwork. Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/18/2021 12:18:10 PM The study's authors are calling on employers to implement better work practices to avoid long working hours for staff, such as agreeing to a maximum number of working hours per job, among other efforts.

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