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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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Page 6: Politix
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-Obits-
Tamiya chairman Shunsaku Tamiya dies at 90
[DailyExpress] TOKYO: Tamiya Corporation has announced the passing of its longtime chairman, Shunsaku Tamiya, who died on Friday (July 18), at the age of 90.

In a statement released on Tamiya’s official Facebook page, the company expressed deepest gratitude for the support shown during Tamiya’s lifetime.

They confirmed that his funeral was held privately, in accordance with his wishes. A farewell gathering is planned at a later date, with details to be announced.

Tamiya was instrumental in shaping the global popularity of the company’s scale models and RC kits.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [21 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This should have gone to yesterday’s Ozzy Osbourne post, but I just saw it:

Posted by: trailing wife || 07/23/2025 1:48 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Major heatwave in Iran disrupts water and electricity supplies, says state media
[IsraelTimes] A severe heatwave sweeping Iran has disrupted water and electricity supplies in much of the country, with reservoir levels dropping to their lowest point in a century, state media says.

At least 18 of the country’s 31 provinces — including Tehran — have been affected by the extreme temperatures, which began on Friday and is expected to ease gradually by Thursday, according to meteorological authorities cited by state television.

Government offices in at least 10 provinces, including the capital, have been ordered to close in a bid to conserve water and electricity, as temperatures in parts of southern and southwestern Iran soared above 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

At least 10 provincial capitals recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on Monday, including Tehran, which reached 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this year, the meteorological agency says.

The heatwave comes amid a sharp drop in rainfall — the worst in 60 years in the capital, according to Tehran’s Provincial Water Supply Company.

The drought has seen the water levels of dams supplying Tehran drop to “their lowest level in a century,” the company says, advising people to use a tank and pump to cope with ongoing water disruptions.

Many residents across Tehran reported water outages lasting several hours in the past few days.

“The water crisis is more serious than what is being talked about,” President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday, adding that the country would “face a situation in the future for which no solution can be found” if current trends continue.

“Measures such as transferring water from other places to Tehran will not solve the problem fundamentally,” he said.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [28 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Summer.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 07/23/2025 0:55 Comments || Top||


New large intersteller comet to approach in late Oct 2025
[Space] The Hubble Space Telescope has caught its first glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS. The comet is just the third object humanity has observed entering the solar system from beyond its limits.

Prior to 3I/ATLAS, the previous two "interstellar invaders" were 1I/'Oumuamua, spotted in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, detected in 2019. Both have now left the solar system, though other interstellar bodies are predicted to dwell undetected in our cosmic backyard [3I/ATLAS is much bigger than either of the previous two - it may come within 15 million miles of Mars and 100 million miles of earth].

As Space.com reported on July 11, recent research suggested that 3I/ATLAS could be even more exciting than initially perceived, as its trajectory through the solar system indicates it comes from a region of the Milky Way older than our 4.6 billion-year-old solar system. With an estimated age of 7 billion years [thus mostly made of H and He], that would make 3I/ATLAS the oldest comet we've ever seen.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Lord Garth || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:


-Land of the Free
Marine Officer Who Faced Charges for Criticizing Military Leaders Now Leads Promotion Review
[Mil.com] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stood up yet another review process -- this time focused on officer promotions. It will be run by a Marine officer who rose to fame slamming the Biden administration over its Afghanistan withdrawal, according to a video and memo released Sunday.

"America's sons and daughters who serve in our military deserve the best leaders commanding them, which is why we need to reform the promotion system at DoD," Hegseth said in the video, while offering no specifics on what he believed the problems were.

This review is just the latest of several that Hegseth has ordered since taking the top military post. Since January, the defense secretary also has ordered the Pentagon to review combat standards, disqualifying medical conditions for military service, physical fitness and body standards, homeschooling support, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The memo, which was posted online Sunday alongside Hegseth's video, said that the promotion and selection review will look at officer evaluations, promotion and command selection boards, and how professional military education is conducted "in order to enhance the lethality of the force."

Running the review will be one-time Marine Lt. Col. Stu Scheller who gained fame in 2021 amid the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan for his public videos in which he sharply criticized other senior military officers and leaders in the Biden administration. In one social media post, Scheller said that he would make a public recommendation of charges of dereliction of duty against Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, then the head of U.S. Central Command.

"Unlike the Marine generals who failed you in the previous administration, my generation will not fail," Scheller said in his post while referring to President Donald Trump.

In October 2021, Scheller pleaded guilty to six charges that stemmed from four videos and other posts he uploaded to social media sites. The charges ranged from disrespecting public officials to conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

At his trial, Scheller argued that his videos and critiques were "about Americans and not about divisions, to include Republican and Democrat."

"This is about accountability of my senior leaders, not about politics," Scheller said in court.

Yet in a blog post made Jan. 20, Scheller took a much more partisan tone against the Biden administration.

"I am sure the national security situation left by the incompetence of the last administration will monopolize [Hegseth's] time," Scheller wrote.

Scheller joined the Pentagon after Hegseth's confirmation and has been working as a senior adviser to Jules Hurst, who until recently was performing the duties of the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

"We need to have officers who understand where their compass is," Hegseth said in the video posted Sunday, adding that such officers are "not risk averse, they're not playing the game, they're not simply checking the box to get to the next level, which creates all the wrong incentives."

Hegseth described Scheller as someone who "had the courage to speak up when no one else would."

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [28 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This sounds promising.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 07/23/2025 0:59 Comments || Top||


Trump Plans to Stop Central Bank Digital Currency Strategy
[ZeroHedge] A central bank digital currency (CBDC) will not be allowed in the United States, President Donald Trump said at a White House event on July 18, promising to take legislative action to prevent such a situation.

“I also remain fully committed to my pledge, never to allow the creation of a central bank digital currency in America,” Trump said. “My first week in office, I signed an executive order to ban the creation of a CBDC in the United States. And very soon, I look forward to signing legislation that will codify and make it a permanent law.”

Trump’s comments came amid the signing of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act into law.

During a campaign event in January last year, Trump had said that once he became president, “I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency. Such a currency would give the federal government absolute control of your money,” which would be “a dangerous threat to freedom.”

On Jan. 23 this year, the first week after becoming president, Trump signed the executive order banning CBDCs.

“Agencies are hereby prohibited from undertaking any action to establish, issue, or promote CBDCs within the jurisdiction of the United States or abroad,” the order said.

Globally, various nations are at different stages when it comes to their approach towards CBDCs and introducing such currencies into their economy.

According to a July update from the Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker from the Atlantic Council, of the 137 countries or currency unions tracked by the group, three have already launched a CBDC—Nigeria, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

Moreover, 49 nations or currency unions are piloting CBDCs, 36 are researching such a currency, and 20 are engaged in the development of such a currency.

In addition, 21 are in an inactive status, while two have canceled launching a central bank digital currency, according to the analysis.

GENIUS ACT
Stablecoins are a type of crypto asset that tracks a reference asset, such as currency or commodities, on a 1:1 basis. For instance, if a stablecoin references the U.S. dollar, the issuer of stablecoins will offer one stablecoin for every dollar.

The GENIUS Act establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins.

The Act requires stablecoins to have “100 percent reserve backing with liquid assets like U.S. dollars or short-term Treasuries,” according to a July 18 White House Fact Sheet. It also requires issuers of stablecoins to “make monthly, public disclosures of the composition of reserves.”
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under: Nut Jobs


China-Japan-Koreas
Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) loses control of both houses after a historic election defeat
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under:


Government Corruption
Michigan: Imminent Announcement of Indictments Expected Related to 2020 Elections
Jonathan Brater, the Michigan Director of Elections under the Michigan Secretary of State confessed to federal crimes under oath last week.

Last week Brater confessed to ordering the destruction of the ONLY evidence that could be used to reconcile who voted in the 2020 election.

When Brater learned that Adam’s Township Clerk, Stephanie Scott, refused to allow any 2020 data to be destroyed, Brater went after her and her attorney Stefanie Lambert to have them charged with crimes so that he could seize the very evidence requiring preservation by law.

Former Michigan Senator Patrick Colbek opined:

"MI Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater admits to violating the law during cross-examination by Attorney Kurt Olsen in his defense of former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and Attorney Stefanie Lambert.

In clear violation of federal law (52 USC Section 20701), Brater ordered the destruction of election records. The policies of Mr. Brater's boss, MI SoS [Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn] Benson, are clear. She only follows the laws that she agrees with.

I'm sure its merely coincidence that the records that she [Benson] orders clerks to destroy (ePollbook records) provide key links in the audit trail chain of custody for each election.

Such records would enable auditors to understand how many ballots cast in a given election were performed by legal voters.

Such records would enable auditors to understand why there are over 350,000 fewer voters than ballots cast in the 2020 election.

Such records would enable auditors to find out who allowed 125,428 illegal votes to be cast in the 2024 election.
Such records would likely enable the discovery of who is modifying voter history data for our elections."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [23 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Police arrest dozens for alleged arms, drug trafficking following year-long undercover operation
[IsraelTimes] A civilian undercover agent helped cops arrest dozens of people this morning on suspicion of weapons and drugs trafficking, police say, revealing a covert operation that had been taking place over the past year.

The agent, who was recruited by the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit, gathered evidence against the suspects, who were allegedly involved in illegal firearms trafficking and dealing cocaine worth hundreds of thousands of shekels.

According to Lahav 433 commander Manny Binyamin, the agent had been a “powerful criminal figure” whom police “transformed into a strategic evidence-gathering asset at the heart of Israel’s underworld.”

The agent carried out over 30 controlled transactions with the suspects, leading police to acquire 18 handguns, three M16 assault rifles and over 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lbs) of cocaine, police say. Binyamin says the staged deals implicated over 50 suspects involved in illegal weapons trade within the Arab community.

Police say that this morning, Israeli security forces, including police and Border Police officers, raided suspects’ homes across the country and arrested 48 people. The detainees, suspected of firearms and drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit a crime and additional offenses, will be brought today to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, where police will request to extend their remand.

Senior officers involved in the case, including Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled and Investigations and Intelligence head Boaz Blatt, attended a ceremony unveiling the agent’s undercover operation this morning. Peled calls police’s use of undercover agents “an inseparable part of the Israel Police’s uncompromising war against serious crime.”

“This includes confronting criminal organizations, violent disputes and the trafficking of illegal weapons that often end up in the hands of both criminal and terrorist actors,” he says.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:


Science & Technology
A private company runs the control tower where a B-52 got too close to a passenger jet. It's more common than you might think
[CNN] Washington - The control tower where a Delta Air Lines regional jet had to perform an "aggressive maneuver" to avoid colliding with an Air Force B-52 bomber isn’t staffed by the Federal Aviation Administration, but rather air traffic controllers working for a private company.

It’s more common than most fliers may think. About half of the control towers at civilian airports in the US are operated under contract by private companies, according to the FAA. Most are at smaller airports, like Minot International.

On Friday, the B-52 bomber was conducting a flyover at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds, near the Minot airport that, "was planned in advance and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration," according to a statement from Minot Air Force Base.

"The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft," the statement said.

The passenger plane wasn’t told about the bomber either, according to a video filmed inside the plane by a passenger and posted on TikTok.

The pilot of the Delta jet, operated by regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, can be heard telling passengers that the aircraft was "kind of, sort of coming at us" and it was safest to turn sharply to pass behind it.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/23/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [28 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Video taken from the ND State fairgrounds shows both the airliner and the oncoming B52 here: https://www.kfyrtv.com/2025/07/21/concertgoer-state-fair-captures-two-planes-around-time-near-miss-skies-above-minot/
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 07/23/2025 0:11 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
26[untagged]
7Hamas
4Govt of Iran
3Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
3Hezbollah
2Palestinian Authority
2Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
1Human Trafficking
1Islamic State
1M23
1Nut Jobs
1Palestinian Islamic Jihad
1Sublime Porte
1al-Shabaab (AQ)
1Devout Moslems
1Houthis

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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2025-07-22
  Syria starts evacuating Bedouin families from Sweida in bid to restore calm after more than 1260 killed
Mon 2025-07-21
  Mali: FAMa announced that over 70 terrorists were neutralized
Sun 2025-07-20
  Clashes end in Suwayda after govt forces deployment, 940 dead
Sat 2025-07-19
  Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem: We're ready to fight — no to disarming, no to surrender.
Fri 2025-07-18
  Libya: Armed clashes reported in Najila between militia forces and Dbeibah's defense units
Thu 2025-07-17
  Iran ready to respond to any new attack, says supreme leader
Thu 2025-07-17
  Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian Presidential Palace and the Syrian General Staff HQ in Damascus
Wed 2025-07-16
  Syrian Internal security with Ministry of Defense expelled outlawed groups from Suwayda, over 100 Druze dead
Tue 2025-07-15
  At least 30 people killed in armed clashes in Syria's Sweida, says interior ministry
Mon 2025-07-14
  IDF seizes 3 tons of arms from ex-Assad regime sites
Sun 2025-07-13
  ISIS-aligned rebels kill 66 civilians in eastern Congo
Sat 2025-07-12
  US appeals court cancels plea deal for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Fri 2025-07-11
  Iranian media reports that Iran’s Army Chief of Staff, General Abdulrahim Mousavi, has been assassinated... False a;arm
Thu 2025-07-10
  Lebanon strike that killed 3 targeted senior Hamas commander: Israel
Wed 2025-07-09
  Gunmen Hijack 33 Tons of Gold, Silver Concentrate in Truck on Mexican Highway


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