Freed on Saturday, already getting into trouble. It won’t be long before this one is either back behind Israeli bars or dead.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF on Saturday raided the house of one of the Hamas prisoners released the same day in the hostage-ceasefire deal, detaining one person and scuffling with others, The New York Times reports.
The paper says one of its journalists, who was conducting an interview in the house on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the time, was also “roughed up,” during the raid on the home of Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas terrorist convicted in 2002 of driving suicide bombers to carry out attacks.
The report says the soldiers detained Zughayer’s brother and expelled journalists.
The IDF said in a statement to the paper that said in a statement that it had raided the Zughayer family’s house because it “received intelligence and videos of gunfire and incitement to terrorism in the area.” It said the brother had been detained for displaying a Hamas flag.
Israel has worked to crack down on celebrations among Palestinians after the release of security prisoners under the deal.
Zughayer was one of 200 Palestinians released Saturday in exchange for four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas.
[IsraelTimes] Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri was released from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, along with three other abducted female soldiers, says Hamas operatives told them ahead of the handover ceremony the terror group was arranging that they would be required to speak from the stage. Instead, he said, the four decided to make “victory gestures” and subvert the Hamas ceremony.
Interviewed on Radio 103, Eli Albag says Liri told him that Hamas “told them to speak. So Liri and the other girls decided, We’re not only not going to speak. We’ll make victory gestures and spoil the whole show they’d planned.”
The four hostages — Albag, Karina Ariev, Naama Levy and Daniella Gilboa — indeed smiled and waved to the large crowd of armed Hamas operatives and supporters, when they were brought onto the Hamas stage in Gaza’s Palestinian Square. Albag also gave a thumbs-up.
“The moment they did the victory gestures,” said Eli Albag, the Hamas organizers “realized that they’d got themselves into a mess with these girls, took them down from the stage, and didn’t let them speak.”
He added: “When Liri told me about this, she said, ‘Dad, if they had let me speak, I’d have said one sentence, in Arabic: “My name is Liri Albag, and I’m Number One’.”
[IsraelTimes] Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli scrapped a planned trip to the European Parliament in Brussels over concerns that pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups would seek a warrant for his arrest, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying the trip was cancelled “in light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials,” though the broadcaster says its inquiries with Shin Bet sources established that there were no such concrete threats against Chikli.
According to the report, Belgian officials relayed to Israel that Chikli would not enjoy diplomatic immunity during his time in Belgium, as he would not be there on an official visit to the country.
[Garowe] The Somali National Army (SNA) with considerable support of the clan militia outwitted the al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... bully boyz in central regions on Saturday, with the forces neutralizing a potentially catastrophic attack waged by the group.
For the better part of Saturday, the national forces battled against the al-Shabaab in Masagawa township in Galgadud, with the bully boyz losing a firm grip after heavy festivities, officials said while acknowledging the victory by the troops.
According to eyewitnesses, festivities erupted after the bully boyz launched an assault by detonating a vehicle-borne bomb, targeting the security forces. The fierce combat ensued after the device detonated, officials said.
So far, details of the casualties are not clear but the forces managed to repulse the Death Eaters. Deaths and injuries were reported with the al-Shabaab said to have lost considerably. The bully boyz are yet to state about the assault.
"The heroes of the Somali National Army and the Defense Forces in Masagawa town in the Galgaduud region have foiled an ambush by the Kharijites and inflicted casualties on the Death Eaters," a statement from the government read.
The federal troops have been combing the central regions after the first phase of the offensive against al-Shabaab which left thousands of the bully boyz dead, two years ago. The security teams have liberated several towns in the process.
Somalia's government declared total war against the al-Shabaab bully boyz and since then, several gains have been registered. The group has scaled down attacks in central and southern regions due to frequent patrols and operations by security forces.
The US Africa Command and the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) work closely with local troops in the restoration of order within the country. Somalia is currently a member of the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Security Council.
[Garowe] An extensive counter-terrorism operation across East Africa has resulted in the arrest of 37 suspects and the seizure of various weapons, with some detainees linked to ISIS and Al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... , authorities said Friday.
The operation, conducted between November and December 2024, involved INTERPOL and AFRIPOL and spanned eight countries. In Kenya, 17 individuals were arrested, including two suspected ISIS members and others involved in terrorism financing and propaganda.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... , four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces ...established in the early 1990s through an agreement between portions of Uganda’s Salaf Tabliq Islamic sect and the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU), who said they had been sidelined by Museveni’s policies. At the time, the rebels staged deadly attacks in Ugandan villages and the capital, including a 1998 attack in which 80 students were massacred. A Ugandan military operation later forced the ADF into eastern Congo. The ADF has since established ties with the Islamic State group. The ADF has received funding from the Government of Sudan, which has also provided supplies and training. The ADF may also have received funding from the illegal mining and logging industries of the DRC.... (ADF) and two others were detained. Authorities also destroyed a missile and an anti-tank device left behind by suspected terrorists.
Somalia saw the arrest of three suspects, including a bomb maker from Al-Shabaab's Amniyaat unit, known for planting IEDs against law enforcement and military targets, and another operative who attacked police checkpoints with hand grenades.
Tanzania arrested one suspected member of ISIS Mozambique and a Ugandan attempting to join a terrorist group in Mozambique.
The operation was preceded by comprehensive intelligence gathering and strategic planning by each participating nation, with INTERPOL and AFRIPOL coordinating the exchange of criminal intelligence. During the raids, officers from both organizations provided real-time support on the ground.
Cyril Gout, INTERPOL’s Acting Executive Director of Police Services, emphasized the necessity of international collaboration in countering terrorism in East Africa's volatile environment.
Ambassador Jalel Chelba, Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL, highlighted the operation as a demonstration of how unified strategies can disrupt criminal networks and enhance regional security.
[ShabelleMedia] The Federal Government of Somalia has initiated a military offensive targeting al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... Death Eaters in several regions of the country, with the Hiran region seeing the heaviest preparations for battle.
Officials confirm plans for a large-scale operation aimed at clearing al-Shabaab from areas where the group still holds influence in Hiran, a region where parts of its territory had previously been retaken.
The Military commanders on the ground say the operation is crucial to securing the area and eliminating the remaining pockets of al-Shabaab fighters.
The government has called on local residents in the affected regions to assist the military forces in their fight against the turban group, which has long controlled large portions of Somalia’s southern and central regions.
Somali Ministry of Defense spokesperson, Brigadier General Abukar Mohammed Hassan, confirmed the extensive operation, urging civilians to support the military as it embarks on the offensive against the krazed killer group.
The operation follows a series of past military actions by the government that successfully reclaimed several towns and territories previously controlled by al-Shabaab.
However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the new offensive comes at a time when previous efforts have faced setbacks, and the government aims to fully neutralize the krazed killer threat in the region.
[Garowe] The Security forces of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... state have arrested 300 suspected ISIS bully boyz of foreign nationalities as Operation Lightning enters the third week, registering significant successes, following the liberation of several strategic towns.
The suspects have been detained for further interrogation, with members of the public playing a major role in reporting individuals whose identities are questionable, officials said while acknowledging the immediate positive impact of the operation.
Mohamud Dirir, Puntland’s minister for information, said the troops have 'dedicated their lives' to peace in Puntland, noting that such commitment would change the fortunes of the entire Horn of Africa region.
According to Dirir, the ongoing conflict in Puntland is unique to the federal state, paralleled only by the war in Ukraine where imported muscle are heavily involved as they try to infiltrate the region, which is the most secure in Somalia.
"The battle here is being fought with advanced technology, including sniper rifles, night-vision-equipped guns, and drones," Dirir said. He added that the region is currently engaged in combating foreign ISIS fighters, who want to establish a permanent base in the country.
Some of the fighters are believed to have originated from Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , Iraq, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, and Algeria. They were previously defeated in Syria and Libya and have massive international support, he added.
Jihad tourists, moving from one battlefield defeat to the next.
"We have cleared them from a 300-kilometer stretch in al-Miskaad mountains," he noted while assuring members of the public that the state would be secured in due course.
Already, the Puntland Counter-Terrorism Forces have taken control of locations that served as bases for ISIS Terrorists. These areas include Waadi-soor, Ina Ciddoole, Damal Cagagubyo, Diibow, Qaaqsiiye, Daad, Dal Lo’aad, and Isha Siido, the team said in a text message published on the X platform.
Reports say the security forces are investigating the visas and personal details of foreigners residing in the capital. Nearly 100 people are currently under investigation, while a larger number have already been verified. The public has taken some individuals to the Police stations, police said.
BREAKING — Senior US officials informed Israel that Trump wants to withdraw the thousands of American soldiers currently in Syria, Israeli public broadcaster Kann reports pic.twitter.com/EzoVHfmIst
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/28/2025 15:15
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#7
You guys threw a hissy fit when they renamed forts, schools, etc, that were originally built and named for us. Explain please, how this is different. In fact, if not intent.
We remain, Your Most Obedient Servants,
The Confederate General (Ret.) Association
#8
...oh, those pesky oaths of allegiance that were betrayed. I have problems with removing the line soldier statutes as they were basically fighting for their team/tribe [not much different than a fall Saturday college rivalry in allegiance]. They were exploited by their ruling class, something we can identify with for these last 20 years. Individually, I'm for keeping Bragg's name because he probably contributed more to the final Union victory than a bushel of Union generals through his incompetence and ego.
#9
I would note as well, that it was pretty damn cynical of the swamp to name them so in the first place when they needed hundreds of thousands of white southern boys to go die and be maimed in Europe and Asia from Cuba through Vietnam for their goals.
#11
Filed, hating meself for thinking it, under "2000 lb. Bunker Buster of the Day." And I'm fine with the name ("We're norteamericanos too!" and all that).
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The success of Chinese firm DeepSeek has sent shockwaves through the artificial intelligence industry - bringing the world's attention to its previously low-profile boss.
More than $1trillion was wiped off the value of global technology stocks yesterday after DeepSeek's advanced AI technology was revealed to the world - sparking panic that the West could fall behind in the AI arms race.
Liang Wenfeng, a hedge fund manager, founded DeepSeek in the city of Hangzou with the proceeds of his successful financial business, although some sceptics have questioned how big a role the Chinese state has in the company's rapid development.
Now CEO OF DeepSeek, Wenfeng was never motivated by money, according to friends, but had always hoped he would command the respect of the US-dominated tech world.
And after being responsible for one of the biggest shake-ups in the AI sphere, it is safe to say the entrepreneur has achieved just that.
The new AI assistant is already poised to wipe almost a trillion dollars off the value of Silicon Valley firms and President Donald Trump has praised its meteoric rise as a 'wake-up call' for the US.
Wenfeng, who by Chinese media accounts has just turned 40, launched his app in the United States on the same day as Trump's inauguration.
The chatbot has since become the most downloaded free app in the country - with its skyrocketing popularity seeing the value of its rival AI firms tumble and sending shockwaves through Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
His success at challenging US dominance in the sector has seen him hailed a national hero in China, and earned him an audience with the country's prime minister Li Qiang last week.
The only AI boss to attend the meeting of China's leading entrepreneurs, Liang shared his insights on the sector with the country's top officials, who said that Beijing will 'focus on breakthroughs in key core technologies and cutting-edge technologies.'
"It's kind of funny because many of the Democrats actually voted against the Laken Riley Act when it was in Congress last session, but now they're supporting it because they see electorally that it's beneficial to them."
[FoxNews] Hamadeh, 33, represents Arizona's 8th Congressional District
GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh is praising President Trump’s swift actions on illegal immigration in the first days of his presidency and told Fox News Digital that the president has "learned a lot from 2017" and that he expects more of the same in the future.
"President Trump campaigned on this and he's delivering it for the American people," the freshman congressman told Fox News Digital in an interview. "If you look at the polling, even Democrats are in favor of deportations of illegal immigrants. So right now, he's deporting the most dangerous illegal immigrants and you're starting to see the raids and it’s quite a sight to see because for too long, the Biden administration, they prioritized illegal immigrants over American citizens."
"They treated American citizens as second-class citizens and President Trump is about America first. So these deportation raids, it's happened so fast and that's
exactly his style of leadership. He knows he has no time to waste and delivering the results for the American people as they already voted for these policies back on November 5th. So far, so good."
Hamadeh told Fox News Digital that Trump "learned a lot from 2017" and this time around knows "exactly what to do" to get his agenda accomplished.
Republicans recently successfully pushed the Laken Riley Act through Congress, with 48 Democrat votes, which Hamadeh told Fox News Digital should have been a unanimous vote and doesn’t necessarily mean Democrats are embracing Trump’s agenda.
"It's kind of funny because many of the Democrats actually voted against the Laken Riley Act when it was in Congress last session, but now they're supporting it because they see electorally that it's beneficial to them."
"So no we always have to be cognizant of that. A lot of these Democrats don't have any principles that they're standing on. They just saw that they got shellacked in the end in the election, November 5th. So they're trying to moderate themselves or appear to be moderate. But honestly it should have gotten unanimous support."
We don’t need to have only noble souls in office. We need to ensure the ignoble have really strong reasons to act noble despite their darker drives.
[WND] 'They knew this was going to happen. They had the studies decades ago, suppressed them & obstructed policy changes to transition away from fossil fuels & toward clean energy'
Two California Democrats unveiled a bill Monday that they said would allow insurers and policyholders affected by the Los Angeles fires to sue major oil corporations for their alleged role in the disaster. That didn't take long.
Democratic California State Sen. Scott Wiener and a host of other Democrats rolled out Senate Bill 222 on Monday, characterizing it as a means to make oil companies atone for the fires and stabilize California's faltering insurance market. This, as residents pick up the pieces from the devastation. Weiner and Pérez say that oil companies bear responsibility for the fires because of their supposed role in climate change. This, even though critics say a litany of policy decisions and failures appear to have much more directly fanned the flames, as evidenced by things like malfunctioning fire hydrants.
"Californians shouldn't be the only ones to pay the costs of devastating climate disasters. From last year's floods to the fires in LA, we know that the fossil fuel industry bears ultimate responsibility for fueling these disasters," Wiener said in a post to X, addressing the new legislation. "The fossil fuel companies knew this was going to happen. They had the studies decades ago, suppressed them & obstructed policy changes to transition away from fossil fuels & toward clean energy."
#4
Just like Democrats to blame somebody else for the problems they create.
Let's suppose, just for argument's sake, that climate change is not some green commie fantasy. Even so, there are all kinds of things people like Newsom and Bass could have done to mitigate the impact. Things like hiring more firefighters and giving them the equipment they need to do their jobs, cutting fire brakes, clearing dead brush and planting green belts with ice plant, making sure the reservoirs are full so the fire hydrants don't run dry, actually checking the fire hydrants at regular intervals and making sure they don't get stolen (which has been happening), letting insurance companies set realistic premiums so they don't go broke paying claims for fires in fire prone areas. On and on it goes. It's not my job to know all the things that could be done. It's theirs and they didn't do it. So now they wanna blame the oil companies? Wait for it; the oil companies will leave California just like the insurance companies. Who will Newsom blame then?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/28/2025 12:07
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#2
Years ago an ABQ brushmower shredded a bum sleeping in a thicket along the Rio Grande near downtown. Ho-hum news from a state the USA forgot about, so far from heaven and so close to Texas.
[World Net] An undercover reporter who worked with David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress to catch abortionists across America boasting about their trade in the body parts of unborn babies will walk off with clean record after former Joe Biden administration officials, while at jobs in California, orchestrated a criminal case against her.
Liberty Counsel, which has represented Sandra Merritt for years, confirmed that California prosecutors have agreed to end the criminal case with a plea deal.
There will be no prison time, no fines and the state is dropping all remaining felony counts. In return, Merritt is pleading "no contest" to one charge which, after a year of probation, will be reduced to a misdemeanor for sentencing, and then that will be expunged from her record.
Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said, "Sandra Merritt did nothing wrong. She did the right thing by exposing the depravity of the abortion industry. This plea agreement ends an unjust criminal case by dropping these baseless criminal charges without any prison time, fines or other penalties.
[FE] The last song the public ever saw Warren Zevon play came on October 30, 2002. It was at the request of his host, David Letterman. The song chosen wasn’t the overplayed staple of classic rock stations everywhere, "Werewolves of London," nor the Russian Mafia and Honduran exile tale of "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." Instead, it was a third song off Zevon’s seminal 1978 album, Excitable Boy, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
Look at the liner notes for "Roland" and you’ll see Zevon sharing credits with David Lindell. Lindell wasn’t your typical Zevon collaborator, whose partners included Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and the Everly Brothers.
Lindell and Zevon met in a chance encounter in Spain, 1974, where one gig after another had led the musical expat to a bar (where else?) somewhere North of Barcelona. "The Dubliner" was then being run by what Zevon described as "a piratical ex-merc." Lindell, another American ex-pat, presented himself with a business card listing his occupations as guerrilla and mercenary soldier. They became quick friends over any number of drinks and used Mike’s gun-for-hire exploits to provide the inspiration, if not the alcohol-soaked details for the song.
For those not familiar with the work, the song tells of the eponymous mercenary from Norway signing on for his next hitch to fight in the "Congo War" where he would carve his submachine gun way across Africa before running afoul of the CIA. The Agency was jealous of his skill with a Thompson—or was it that the CIA flipped to supporting the opposing side? Ultimately, the Agency convinced one of Roland’s fellow mercs to blow his head off in betrayal.
The macabre nature common to Zevon’s work comes through in the remaining refrains as Roland’s headless apparition searches the Dark Continent for his killer before finding him in a Mombasa bar and returning the favor, taking out his Brutus in a hail of ghostly gunfire. The song gives the headless Roland no rest though and sends him on to haunt the world’s conflicts "Sympathy for the Devil"-style from Ireland to Palestine to Patty Hearst and the then current SLA terrorism.
Simply because Zevon was working with someone claiming to have firsthand experience in such matters, didn’t mean he was shy in taking a little poetic license. The .45 caliber Thompson had been widely used by the US in WWII and it became as commonly distributed as any other effective fighting tool, seeing use by both sides in the Arab-Israeli war of ’48, by the Chinese in Korea, Castro’s revolutionaries, the Khmer Rouge, and some African Nationalists such as the Patriotic Front of the Rhodesian Bush War and of course by "colonial" powers like the French in Algeria. With the OSS and SOE arming European resistance efforts with Thompsons during WWII, this combination of circumstances makes a derring-do Norwegian expertly wielding a Thompson in the heart of Africa not totally unbelievable, but not completely corroborated either.
The rest of the song also presents some fuzzy details as well. Roland sets out for Biafra, a short lived independent state carved out of and then reunited with Nigeria during a bloody civil war from 1967-1970. So perhaps the soon-to-be-headless hero got in some mercenary shenanigans there first, but it’s in the "Congo War" where Roland is sung to have spent these same years "knee deep in gore." Those dates and the location tie nicely to the first and second Mercenaries’ Mutinies led by Jean Schramme, among others. Historical accuracy gets a bit fuzzy here with Roland both battling the Bantu (the largest ethnic group in the Congo) and killing to help the Congolese.
Maybe Lindell had a bigger hand in writing the lyrics than is normally credited...Jean "Black Jack" Schramme was not just another restless gun, but a true citizen of the Congo who viewed himself as a "white African" and having lived and worked there for the 20 years of his life prior to taking up arms. Any mercenary fighting alongside Schramme, who saw Congo independence and the UN backed expulsion of settlers as antithetical to what was best, might certainly take the view that they were on the side of the "true" Congolese—which appears may be the case with Lindell and his fictional creation.
Whether Roland was a complete fiction, or some closely held amalgamation of Lindell’s experiences and Zevon’s prodigious imagination may not be answerable.
With Zevon lost to us some 20 years ago and David Eric Lindell taking one more queue from Roland, possessing a wraith-like footprint and leaving his status and whereabouts unknown, maybe any tale of mercenaries, guns, bars, murder, revenge, Africa, and ghosts, deserves a bit of mystery to remain and I bet both would agree.
[Federalist] The Department of Justice is still pursuing charges against a Texas doctor who exposed transgender operations on kids. He told The Federalist he could face jail time in just days and pled with President Donald Trump to stop the lawfare.
"This case needs to be dropped with prejudice because this illegal application of HIPAA will destroy the medical profession," the whistleblower, Eithan Haim, told The Federalist. "Not only that but the prosecutors and FBI agents involved need to be investigated for potential criminal abuse of power."
Haim, a Dallas-area doctor, exposed Texas Children’s Hospital in May 2023 for performing transgender procedures on children as young as 11. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had classified the operations as "child abuse," and TCH lied about no longer providing them. But Haim exposed TCH to conservative activist Christopher Rufo for continuing these procedures. The next day, the Texas state Senate voted to ban the practice, and Paxton launched multiple investigations into the hospital.
Starting last year, President Joe Biden’s DOJ pressed charges against Haim. Though President Donald Trump has taken office and ordered an end to federal "weaponization," the DOJ is continuing to persecute the doctor for exposing the secret child mutilation.
A judge has placed a de-facto gag order on the doctor and said if he violates it, he could be held in jail until trial. Haim told The Federalist he could "possibly" face jail time in a matter of days for alleged "contempt."
#11
From the BBC: After being struck with a huge laser-beam in his battle with the Toymaker, David Tennant's 14th Doctor bi-regenerated, splitting in two. The new 15th version of the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa begins his first full adventure in time and space, taking on baby-eating goblins, on Christmas Day 2023. Gatwa is the first black actor to play the Doctor for a full series and is the fourth Scottish actor in the role.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Nvidia is no longer the world's most valuable company after suffering the biggest stock market drop in history.
The chipmaker shed more than $589 billion in value on Monday after its stock dropped around 17 percent.
The plunge cost the company the equivalent value of Netflix's market cap or the entire GDP of countries such as Ireland, Sweden or Belgium.
Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang personally saw $21 billion wiped off his net worth on Monday due to the stock he holds in the company.
The losses came after investors panicked about the implications of a new Chinese AI that appears to compete with its American rivals but for a fraction of the cost.
DeepSeek's advances have raised doubts about whether the US will retain its lead in the global race of advancing AI technology.
The Chinese company released its free AI Assistant last week which it says uses less Nvidia chips at a fraction of the cost of current models on the market.
DeepSeek overtook its rival ChatGPT to become the most-downloaded free application available on the Apple Store in the US on Monday.
The advancements made by DeepSeek with what it reported as being fewer, lower capability chips and a lower cost than spending on AI training by U.S. rivals prompted a market sell-off and a debate over whether the Chinese firm has upended American firms' edge in the AI race.
#11
Look at the the last century. To which shiny new technology have humans not irreversably enyoked ourselves?
And now comes full frontal AI.
As they say in Corp speak, "We're really excited about the opportunity!"
#12
NVIDIA gained quite a bit today. Over 60% of yesterday's loss was recouped.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/28/2025 16:26
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#13
Panicked bitches and media losses were recovered by smart investors. Show how DeepSeek is any better than our own AI Myth
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2025 19:44
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#14
Why the Current Day Hollywood Message people are in trouble with AI:
That said, I watched an obviously generated show about dinosaurs recently. Besides the obviously not how humans communicate even in a simple lecture format, there was a graphic I'm sure was supposed to show Continental Drift. It showed modern day Earth, cut it up and positioned the pieces where they were supposed to be, and animated it. So what you had, most blaringly, was India Subcontinent superimposed on top of today's North Africa and just moving into today's position like a puzzle of today's earth pieces just floating around.
But again, that being said, in gamer terms, the AI from just a couple years ago - commercially - jumped from Atari 2600 to Nintendo NES, and catching up to current Unreal 5 Engine will probably only be another year or 2, and able to do more than just a trailer or music video about Middle Earth.
Why the saying is, Authenticity is the Currency of the Future.
[ZERO] Award-winning independent journalist Matt Taibbi revealed in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that communications between FBI officials and scientists related to gain-of-function research and the origins of COVID-19 is expected to one day be made public.
MATT TAIBBI: There are so many different areas where they are going to have to investigate and reinvestigate that. We just went through a period where there was mass stonewalling of Congress when it was trying to investigate what happened with COVID. There were key people like Peter Daszak from the EcoHealth Alliance, who just didn’t answer subpoenas, right? There are documents that we know exist that we’re going to get now with FBI communications between the bureau and a lot of these scientists dating back ten years. And it’s going to tell a crazy story, a really interesting story. There’s a reason why Fauci’s pardon is backdated to 2014, because that’s the time period they are going to have to start looking, which is, when did we start defying the ban on gain of function research. We clearly did. That’s pretty established at this point.
Why were we doing it? What connection did that have to the Wuhan thing? What kind of advanced notice did we get? What kind of lies were told about it? Who were responsible for those lies? What information did we get about the inefficacy of the vaccine and how did that connect to statement by the CDC and the White House? This also connects to the censorship issue in a major way because there was a massive effort to control the public conversation about this that went through the health agencies. We know they’re looking at that. And that’s another executive order, by the way, the free speech order. It directs the Department of Justice to come up with a comprehensive review of all the censorship stuff, so we’re going to find out about that. I just think COVID is a gigantic rat’s nest of stuff. Every direction they look there’s going to find something revelatory.
TUCKER CARLSON: The question is: will that information reach the public? There is these intermediaries like the media. Congressional brand investigators, executive brand investigators like DOJ, inspector generals, they are always constantly releasing reports and no one reads them because no one picks them up in the media. Do we have enough interested reporters to designate what they find?
MATT TAIBBI: I think we do because what we think of as the media is dead. They no longer really matter. The media that matters right now are people like you, Joe Rogan and other independent podcasters out there. There’s this gigantic, thriving independent media out there that turned the last election. It was abundantly clear that the old media no longer had any ability to control the narrative about anything. They’re totally discredited.
[DM] A former Miss California and runner-up Miss USA has slammed Selena Gomez for her video sobbing over President Donald Trump's deportation policy.
Carrie Prejean Boller, a longtime fan of Trump, hit out at the 32-year-old actress on social media for her since-deleted video in which she said she felt powerless to do anything as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deport 'my people.'
'Hey Selena Gomez, How about you call all of "your people" you're crying about being deported and invite them to stay at your mansion behind your big walls and gates until they leave?' Boller wrote.
'Have them over for dinner, feed them, bathe them, let them sleep in your home, pay for their schooling and medical bills.
'You could have helped them and you have not and will not,' Boller said, noting that the Only Murders in the Building star never expressed outrage over the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant or that of Maryland mother Rachel Morin.
'Save your fake tears,' she told the actress.
Gomez had purchased the home of late rock star Tom Petty for $4.9million in 2020, according to Home Beautiful.
The more than 11,000-square-foot Encino, California property - which was custom-built by Petty and his wife Jane Benyo in 1989 - features six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
[DM] The European Union is seeking to beef up its military presence in Greenland just one week after President Donald Trump took office and threatened to seize the vast land mass.
It came after Denmark said on Monday it plans to spend $2.05 billion to boost its military presence in the Arctic.
While the Scandinavian country is responsible for Greenland's security and defense, Copenhagen has limited military capabilities on its island territory.
After his November election win, Trump reupped his offer to purchase Greenland, which Denmark has repeatedly denied any interest in accepting.
During a press conference in Mar-a-Lago weeks before his second term, Trump did not rule out the possibility of using force to take the island territory.
Now, Gen. Robert Brieger of Austria, the top EU military official, has said the group should deploy troops to Greenland.
Greenland holds military significance for Washington, D.C. There are currently 200 American troops stationed at the Pituffik Space Base, which is part of a missile early warning system.
The base also serves as a space and satellite surveillance command hub.
Brieger, current Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC), wants the bloc to send in troops to beef up presence amid concerns that Trump will take swift action to gain control of the autonomous Danish region.
The general, however, said the move is meant to send a 'strong signal' and serve as a deterrent against Russian and Chinese activity in the strategic location.
Trump said this month that Greenland is vital to U.S. security and has demanded Denmark give up control of the Arctic island.
Amid the threats, Denmark has now decided to up its defense spending in Greenland.
It's a drastic reversal after for more than a decade Denmark has cut defense spending it sends to Greenland.
Last year Denmark allocated $26 billion – when converted to USD – for its military spending. And now it wants to use more than $2 billion of that to be allocated to the Arctic.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press conference that the latest deal includes funding for doubling the number of long-range surveillance drones to four total and three new Arctic Navy vessels.
#5
EU and Denmark have been ignoring the artic security from Russia and China for way to long. Trump is pretty much saying "Get in gear or we buy/take it".
#10
Too busy trying to sent troops to Ukraine, but they should have had some to spare since they were getting kicked out of Africa (unless that was more recent than three years ago).
[DM] Donald Trump's Justice Department is firing more than a dozen officials who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's cases against him.
Smith charged Trump in two separate prosecutions with trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents.
The officials, who were on Smith's team, were fired after Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not now be trusted to pursue the president's policies in good faith, Fox News reported.
A Justice Department official told the network: 'Today, McHenry terminated the employment of a number of officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump.
'In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President's agenda.'
Smith, who resigned before Trump took office, concluded in a report released earlier this month that the president engaged in an 'unprecedented criminal effort' to hold on to power after losing the 2020 election.
He was ultimately thwarted in bringing the cases to trial due to Trump's election victory.
Trump's lawyers have called Smith's actions politically motivated.
The president denies any wrongdoing in the cases, which Smith dropped shortly after Trump was elected.
In a separate development, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that a Trump-appointed prosecutor had opened an internal review of the Justice Department's decision to charge hundreds of January 6 defendants with felony obstruction offenses in connection with the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
#2
N.B. "Acting AG". Till the Senate approves a Department head, he gets to choose the Acting head. He knows who is who. The scythe is out without waiting.
There is an old saying - if you strike at the king, you must kill the king.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Vivek Ramaswamy spoke Monday night about his departure from the Department of Government Efficiency, leaving it in the hands of Elon Musk before it even gets off the ground.
Ramaswamy, 39, sat down with Fox News' Jesse Watters and teased a future run for state office - as he's widely expected to announce an Ohio gubernatorial bid.
Watters joked that Ramaswamy was leaving DOGE 'after like three Scaramuccis' and asked him what happened, as it was previously reported that Musk wanted him out. 'Scaramuccis' are a unit of measurement based on the extremely short, 11-day tenure of Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.
'Well, the reality is, I'm pursuing an elected office very shortly. We will have an announcement soon,' Ramaswamy answered.
Watters then asked Ramaswamy about the rumors that he and Musk weren't getting along.
'I think that's incorrect,' Ramaswamy replied. 'But what I would say is, we had different and complementary approaches.'
Watters also asked Ramaswamy straight up if Musk had fired him.
'It's - no, we had a mutual discussion,' the 2024 Republican hopeful answered. 'And I think I wish him well.'
Ramaswamy further explained their 'different' approaches.
'I focused more on a constitutional law, legislative-based approach,' he said. 'They focused more on a technology approach, which is the future approach.'
'No better person to lead that technology, digital approach than Elon Musk,' he offered.
'But when you're talking about a constitutional revival, it's not just done through the federal government, it's done through federalism, where states also lead the way,' he continued. 'So I will have to be saying more on that very shortly Jesse, But that's going to be my next stop.'
He also claimed that he and Musk were 'on the same page.'
'Divide and conquer,' he explained. 'In saving the country, it's not a one-man show from the top down or the bottom up. It's all of the above. And that's what I'm for.'
Ramaswamy further teased an Ohio governor's bid by saying he was flying back to the Buckeye State later Monday night.
'We look at the country over the last 20 years, Silicon Valley was at the bleeding edge of the American economy. I think the Ohio River Valley can be at the bleeding edge of the American economy for the next 20 years,' he said, readying his pitch to voters.
'People leaving this state from New York or California, right now, they go to Florida or Texas,' he said. 'I think places like Ohio should be where they're headed in the next couple of decades.'
Watters said the weather in Ohio might even improve over the next few years.
'All right, if global warming keeps happening, it's going to get really nice and sunny in Ohio,' the Fox News anchor said.
Ramaswamy, if he announces, will follow Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost into the Republican primary.
They will be vying to replace the term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.
Ramaswamy ran in the 2024 GOP primary against Trump but when he fell short in the Iowa caucuses last January he quickly endorsed and campaigned for the now-president.
Without him, Musk's DOGE has hit the ground running much like the rest of the Trump administration in the first week on the job.
DOGE has set to work removing the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council website from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
[FoxNews] U.S. Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with suspected cartel members near the U.S.-Mexican border on Monday, as the U.S. government's response against criminal migrants continues to intensify.
The gunfire exchange – which happened exactly one week after President Donald Trump began ramping up border security on his first day in office – occurred at around 2 p.m. local time near Fronton, Texas.
A group of illegal aliens was attempting to cross the Rio Grande while bullets were fired, but did not make it across. Neither the Border Patrol agents nor the suspected cartel members were hit.
President Trump recently designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The area where the gunfire exchange took place is near Fronton Island, also unofficially known as "Cartel Island" due to the criminal activity there. In an interview with Fox News Digital in 2023, Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said that she declared the land as Texas territory – even though it had not officially been before – to grant law enforcement the right to patrol there.
"One of the things that the General Land Office does is determine the center of a waterway," Buckingham said at the time. "Everything that is the center of the Rio Grande and north, of course, the state of Texas and the United States territory."
"The land just hadn't been accurately declared as it was forming in the river. That's why we had to step in and officially declare it Texas territory."
Last week, a Fox News Digital exclusive found that a sharp drop in illegal immigrant encounters occurred in the first days of the Trump administration – 35% lower than the final three days of the Biden administration.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources said that there were 1,288 encounters nationwide on Jan. 17, then 1,266 on Jan. 18 and 1,354 on Jan. 19. The 3,908 encounters in the last few days of the Biden administration countered the 2,523 encounters in the first three days of the Trump administration: 1,073; 736; and 714 from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22, respectively.
#5
Maybe "The Don" needs to use a little US show of force like, Operation Restore Control, or Operation Kiss-Ass, to free the Mexico Gov from Cartel controls?
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
01/28/2025 4:50
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#7
Hot pursuit (also known as fresh or immediate pursuit) is the urgent and direct pursuit of a criminal suspect by law enforcement officers, or by belligerents under international rules of engagement for military forces. Such a situation grants the officers in command powers they otherwise would not have.
#11
Because cartels like to have big shoot outs with border control along their smuggling routes.
"A group of illegal aliens was attempting to cross the Rio Grande while bullets were fired"
Definitely sounds like cartel and not local coyotes and border smugglers.
Peppering legacy news with stories about cartel shooting at our guys is definitely not gaslighting because we know it is the cartels that want the cartel wars and not the other way around. Definitely just the cartels trying to win popular support for their future offensive against border control and DEA.
#12
Mexican cartels are terrorist organizations and always have been. The southern border has been under "invasion" status for the entire duration of the Biden regime, even though it's a "no-no" term for a lot of the USA, along with their refusal to consider the Biden open border policy a "high crime and misdemeanor" under the terms of the US Constitution.
I was deeply touched by a comment by Dean B. that was made in response to one of my recent columns. https://gingerbreggin.substack.com/p/peter-breggin-md-offers-psychotherapy Dean described how he was afflicted by tardive dyskinesia (TD), a common adverse effect to any antipsychotic or any dopamine-blocking drugs. It causes abnormal movements that can become disfiguring and disabling, and in some cases causes dementia. It can be chronically exhausting and anxiety-inducing.
For Dean, and many others, the best introductory discussion of this global drug-induce plague can be found on my free "Antipsychotic Drugs and Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) Resources Center" on Breggin.com. I have given the resource center a very simple URL for anyone who wants to go directly to it at or to refer other people to it: www.123antipsychotics.com
You may not think you’ve ever been exposed to any antipsychotic drugs, but in fact you may be taking one right now without realizing it. Seroquel is often prescribed as a sleeping aid. Abilify, Latuda, Geodon, and others are described in a misleading fashion as antidepressants or mood stabilizers by prescribers. Each of them can cause TD.
Here is a list of so-called antipsychotic drugs that cause TD: chlorpromazine (Thorazine), loxapine (no trade name), haloperidol (Haldol), aripiprazole (Abilify), asenapine (Saphris), clozapine (Clozaril), lurasidone (Latuda), ziprasidone (Geodon), quetiapine (Seroquel), paliperidone (Invega), risperidone (Risperdal), Zyprexa (olanzapine), iloperidone (Fanapt), cariprazine (Vraylar), brexpiprazole (Rexulti), and lumateperone (Caplyta).
Although sometimes controversial, lithium can also cause TD and overall is among the most dangerous antipsychotic drugs. More of these are coming out but they should have been permanently stopped in 1954 when they first came and were quickly identified as strong neurotoxins that would cause a pandemic of brain disease throughout the world, mimicking another earlier pandemic called lethargic encephalitis. See my groundbreaking scientific article on the comparison between tardive dyskinesia and lethargic encephalitis.
A one-hour consultation costs $400 paid in advance. If you wish further consultations, psychotherapy, medication withdrawal, or a legal consultation, we can then discuss fees for any continued services which may cost more or even less.
The phone number to call to arrange the consultation is 607 272-5328.
Please leave a message. My friendly assistant Missy will call you back, take your name and contact information, and bill your credit card for $400.
[Science, Public Health Policy and the Law] Background: Vaccinations required for school attendance have increased nearly threefold since the 1950s, now targeting 17 infectious diseases. However, the impact of the expanded schedule on children’s overall health remains uncertain. Preliminary studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children have reported that the vaccinated are significantly more likely than the unvaccinated to be diagnosed with bacterial infections, allergies, and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The objective of this study was to determine the association between vaccination and NDDs in 9-year-old children enrolled in the Medicaid program. The specific aims were to test the hypothesis that: 1) vaccination is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other NDDs; 2) preterm birth coupled with vaccination increases the odds of NDDs compared to preterm birth without vaccination; and 3) increasing numbers of vaccinations are associated with increased risks of ASD.
Methods: The study population comprised children born and continuously enrolled in the Florida State Medicaid program from birth to age 9. Vaccination uptake was measured by numbers of healthcare visits that included vaccination-related procedures and diagnoses. Cross-sectional analyses were performed to calculate prevalence odds ratios (Aims 1-2). A retrospective cohort design was used to compute relative risks specifically of ASD (Aim 3).
Results: The analysis of claims data for 47,155 nine-year-old children revealed that: 1) vaccination was associated with significantly increased odds for all measured NDDs; 2) among children born preterm and vaccinated, 39.9% were diagnosed with at least one NDD compared to 15.7% among those born preterm and unvaccinated (OR 3.58, 95% CI: 2.80, 4.57); and 3) the relative risk of ASD increased according to the number of visits that included vaccinations. Children with just one vaccination visit were 1.7 times more likely to have been diagnosed with ASD than the unvaccinated (95% CI: 1.21, 2.35) whereas those with 11 or more visits were 4.4 times more likely to have been diagnosed with ASD than those with no visit for vaccination (95% CI: 2.85, 6.84).
Conclusions: These results suggest that the current vaccination schedule may be contributing to multiple forms of NDD; that vaccination coupled with preterm birth was strongly associated with increased odds of NDDs compared to preterm birth in the absence of vaccination; and increasing numbers of visits that included vaccinations were associated with increased risks of ASD.
[FoxNews] VA also working to cancel $6M worth of contracts for DEI-related training, materials, consulting services.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has placed nearly 60 employees on leave who focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and had a combined salary of more than $8 million.
The VA said in a press release Monday that it completed its implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end DEI in the federal government.
Part of the VA’s abolishment of DEI within the agency meant placing on paid administrative leave about 60 employees who were solely focused on DEI activities.
The VA said the combined salary of the employees – including base pay, locality pay and additional earnings – exceeds $8 million, with the average pay being about $136,000 per year, per employee.
[IsraelTimes] Italy says monitoring mission, which was halted when Hamas seized control of Strip in 2007, ‘was launched at the request of Israel and the PA’
The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... agreed Monday to restart a monitoring mission at the Rafah Border Crossing between Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... and Egypt as part of efforts to bolster the hostage release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... The 27-nation bloc set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the crossing, but it was suspended two years later after the Islamist terror group Hamas seized control of Gaza.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers had agreed to redeploy the mission, which she said "can play a decisive role in supporting the ceasefire" that took effect last week.
"It’s starting already from February," Kallas said. "The people are ready to go and start work."
"This will allow a number of injured individuals to leave Gaza and receive medical care," she added.
EU officials said earlier the deployment had a mandate for 10 European personnel and eight local staff.
Italia, Spain and La Belle France said they would send officers to form part of a police security detachment to help protect the mission.
"The mission was launched at the request of Israel and the Paleostinian Authority, with the full support of Egypt," the Italian government said in a statement.
"The primary objective is to coordinate and facilitate the daily transit of up to 300 maimed and sick, ensuring assistance and protection to vulnerable people in a context of humanitarian emergency."
The Rafah crossing reopened as part of the ceasefire, after being closed in May when the Israeli military seized the area, with Egypt refusing to reopen the gateway until it was back under Paleostinian control. The crossing is a major conduit for aid into Gaza and its closure has worsened the humanitarian crisis caused by the war, which was sparked by Hamas’s devastating attack on southern Israel in October 2023.
A report last week in the the Saudi-owned, UK-based Asharq al-Awsat, said Israel has agreed to allow the PA to take control of the Rafah crossing in future stages of the hostage-ceasefire deal, though this was partly denied by the Prime Minister’s Office, which accused the Paleostinian Authority of attempting to "create a false picture to the effect that it controls the crossing."
However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the PMO admitted that the current arrangement at the crossing is "correct for the first stage of the framework and will be evaluated in the future," and that the PA currently plays a limited role at the border crossing.
According to the PMO, the IDF currently controls the crossing point and "nobody passes through it without supervision, oversight and advance approval of the IDF and Shin Bet." It stated that "non-Hamas Gazooks" provide technical management at the crossing with international oversight, and the PA provides the stamp on passports allowing Gazooks to exit the Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly refused to entertain the idea of the PA ruling postwar Gaza, accusing it of glorifying terror and supporting the October 7 attack. However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... many in the Israeli security establishment have privately backed such a move due to the lack of any other viable alternative.
[IsraelTimes] IDF says it carried out drone strike as warning to vehicle trying to bypass checkpoint; armed Hamas operatives seen among crowds of Palestinians traveling by foot to north of Strip
Security contractors have started inspecting vehicles in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... to prevent heavy weaponry from being moved to the north of the enclave, where tens of thousands of Paleostinians were returning to on Monday.
An Egyptian official said Egyptian contractors, along with a US firm, were running checkpoints to inspect vehicles heading to the northern Gaza Strip via the Salah a-Din Road. The contractors are part of an Egyptian-Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i committee implementing the ceasefire, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A Paleostinian businessman who crossed through a checkpoint told the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... that US security personnel wearing dark fatigues checked cars, while soldiers speaking an Egyptian dialect of Arabic organized the movement of vehicles and the passengers they let off while the inspections are conducted.
"The car inspection and crossing take no more than a minute or two," he was quoted as saying. "They asked me to open the trunk and hood, and then wished me safe travels."
An Israeli official, who confirmed the inspections began Monday, described the team operating the inspections as "multinational," but gave no further details except to say it included a private American security firm. Reports last week said the US company Safe Reach Solutions will be responsible for the operational management of crossings along the corridor, while another American firm and an Egyptian company perform the inspections.
The official also vowed Israel will continue to act against violations of the ceasefire terms, which the Israel Defense Forces reported doing several times on Monday.
In central Gaza, a dronezap was carried out as a warning after a vehicle attempted to travel to north Gaza via an area that is prohibited for vehicular traffic per the agreement, and as such would not have undergone inspection, the IDF said.
Paleostinian media had reported a dronezap on a tractor trying to push through a barrier in Nuseirat.
In several areas of Gaza where troops are still deployed, the military said troops also fired warning shots at suspects approaching them. In one incident in northern Gaza, the IDF said troops targeted a suspect who did not withdraw after initial warning shots were fired.
The incidents came as masses of Paleostinians streamed along roads leading to northern Gaza, with images showing armed and masked Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... operatives flashing the victory sign among the returning crowds. Unlike with vehicles, the ceasefire exempts Paleostinians traveling on foot from inspections, though they are not supposed to be carrying weapons.
Hamas released a brief statement claiming that "more than 300,000 displaced" Paleostinians "returned today... to the governorates of the north" of Gaza, a figure that could not be verified independently. The United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... said over 200,000 people were observed moving north on Monday morning.
During the 15 months of fighting, Israel was wary about allowing the movement of Gazooks from the south to the north fearing Hamas would use the opportunity to reposition its fighters.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, residents of northern Gaza were initially due to return over the weekend but Israel said that Hamas had broken the deal by failing to release civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud and kept the crossings closed.
Late on Sunday, Qatari mediators said Hamas had agreed to release Yehoud and two other hostages — one of them female soldier Agan Berger — before Friday and that Israel would in return allow displaced Paleostinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning. Three men were to be released on Saturday.
Jerusalem also said Hamas had finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages set to be released in the ongoing, 42-day first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19. Both the failure to send this list by Saturday and Hamas’s failure to free Yehoud before releasing four IDF servicewomen had been regarded by Israel as violations of the truce deal.
[YouTube] Patrick Bet-David reacts to President Trumps record breaking first week in office where he signed more executive orders than any president before in the the first 24 hours.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the east and south of Ukraine.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the enemy attacked 37 times in the areas of 17 settlements. Ten combat clashes are still ongoing.
Since the beginning of the current day, 82 combat clashes have occurred on the front, almost half of which were in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report on Monday, January 27.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, four armed clashes are currently ongoing in the Volchansk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, two assault actions by the invaders took place in Peschanoye and Lozovaya.
In the Liman direction, the enemy is attacking in the areas of the settlements of Novoegorovka, Kopanki, Makeyevka, Terny, Zelenaya Dolina, Zarechnoye and Kolodyazi. In total, since the beginning of the day, there have already been eight combat contacts in this direction, four of which are still ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our troops repelled four enemy attempts to advance near Chasovy Yar, Stupochki, Predtechino and Belaya Gora. Two combat clashes are currently ongoing.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked our troops' positions in the Toretsk, Dilievka and Shcherbinovka areas seven times. Two combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction today the enemy attacked 37 times in the areas of the settlements of Vodyanoye Vtoroye, Zelenoe Pole, Elizavetovka, Mirolyubovka, Sukhoi Yar, Zelenoe, Kotlino, Udachnoye, Nadezhdinka, Kotlyarovka, Uspenovka, Preobrazhenka, Bogdanovka, Shevchenko, Dachnoye, Ulakly and Yantarnoye. Ten combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, our defenders repelled six attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novosyolka, Konstantinopol, Razdolnoye and Velikaya Novosyolka.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy attacked our defenders twice in the Novodanilovka area.
In the Dnieper direction the enemy attacked unsuccessfully once.
In the Kursk direction, the Russians organized 11 attacks. Two combat clashes are still ongoing.
Let us recall that on January 26, 166 combat clashes were recorded on the front, 78 of which were in the hottest Pokrovsky direction.
It was also reported that over the past 24 hours, Russia lost more than 1,400 soldiers killed and wounded. The total losses of the aggressor country exceeded 830 thousand people.
Defenders were withdrawn from part of Velyka Novoselka to avoid cordoning off.
The defense forces are holding positions on the outskirts of the settlement, preventing further advancement of Russian troops.
Ukrainian troops have been withdrawn from the southern part of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast. The defense forces are holding some positions within the settlement, but closer to its outskirts. This was reported by the spokesman for the Khortytsia OSUV Viktor Tregubov on the air of the telethon.
Ukrainian defenders were withdrawn from the southern part of the settlement to avoid being cordoned off.
Currently, Ukrainian forces hold some positions within the settlement, but this is closer to its outskirts. Any other actions could lead to their encirclement and unnecessary losses among Ukrainian defenders.
The speaker noted that as of today, Russian troops have entered a significant part of the settlement, while Ukrainians are holding some of its borders to prevent the occupiers from going further.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied the loss of Velyka Novosilka.
[Epoch Times] Existing home sales in the United States hit an almost three-decade low last year but showed signs of recovery in the final months, according to the latest numbers released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The decades-low existing-home sales of 4.06 million units came while the median price of homes hit a record high of $407,500 last year, NAR said. In December 2024, the median existing-home price was up 6 percent from a year ago, with all four U.S. regions registering price hikes.
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum last week to rein in inflation costs facing Americans, including bringing down the cost of housing. The memo blamed regulatory requirements as contributing to the problem as these expenses "alone account for 25 percent of the cost of constructing a new home," it said.
Trump’s executive action directed agencies to deliver "emergency price relief" for Americans, including pursuing actions to lower housing costs and improve the supply of homes in the market.
Trump has nominated Bill Pulte, known for his philanthropic initiatives, for director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Federal Home Loan Banks. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) welcomed the nomination.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/28/2025
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#1
December waw a rough month for some agents in North Georgia.
#3
Some of that cost is because people want and builders construct HGTV homes as well. Do you want a 'home' or do you want an investment? How many 'basic' models do you see being built?
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:25 Returning home from the front without further service is not yet provided for by law. President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that martial law requires the mobilization of people and all available resources in the country.
"If tomorrow half of our army decides to go home, then we should have surrendered on the very first day of the war. If tomorrow half of the people go home, Putin will destroy us all," Zelensky said.
20:58 Ukrainian troops are holding positions within Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk region, where fighting is still ongoing. This was reported by the spokesman for the OSGV Khortytsia Viktor Tregubov, answering questions regarding the occupation of the settlement.
19:40 A fire broke out as a result of a second attack on the Ryazan Oil Refinery. The facility was attacked by at least 18 drones, three of which hit the enterprise. The AVT-4 unit caught fire - a tool used to distill gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel and fuel oil from oil.
19:03 There is still no agreement on holding a telephone conversation between the leaders of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov. According to him, the deportation of illegal migrants is more important for the new administration in the United States than strategic stability, believes Sergei Ryabkov.
18:25 President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European Council President António Costa in Krakow, Poland. They discussed the upcoming 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia, as well as possible sources of funding for Ukraine's defense industry, the press service of the Ukrainian leader reported.
17:35 Russian military dropped explosives from a drone on a tractor in one of the settlements of the Kherson region, in which a 44-year-old man was located. As a result of the attack, the man died.
17.17 Soldiers of the 15th Separate Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade Cherny Les destroyed an enemy radar station 96L6E. Video footage of the successful attack was published on social networks.
16:41 Since the beginning of the current day, 82 combat clashes have occurred on the front, almost half of which were in the Pokrovsk direction. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the details in an operational report on Monday, January 27.
15:39 The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months for its war against Ukraine. The restrictions will remain in place until July 31, the European Council said. The restrictions will remain in place as long as Russia's illegal actions continue to violate fundamental norms of international law, the EU assured.
15.30 Russians have dropped guided bombs on Stepnogorsk in the Zaporizhia region. Two women and two men were injured. They are receiving the necessary assistance.
15:23 Ukrainian troops have been withdrawn from the southern part of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk region. The defense forces hold some positions within the settlement, but closer to its outskirts. This was reported by the spokesman for the OSUV Khortytsia Viktor Tregubov on the air of the telethon.
15.10 A woman who was wounded in the Russian strike on January 8 has died in hospital in Zaporozhye. The death toll has thus risen to 15.
14:53 The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has denied information disseminated in the media about the alleged "statement" of its chief, Kirill Budanov, at a closed meeting in the Verkhovna Rada.
Earlier, Ukrayinska Pravda reported that Budanov allegedly stated at a closed meeting of the heads of parliamentary factions and representatives of the military command that in the absence of “serious negotiations” on ending the war by the summer, “very dangerous processes for the very existence of Ukraine could be launched.”
14:35 The Russian side has not yet received any proposals from the White House to organize contacts between the leaders of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. However, interest in such contacts remains. This statement was made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
14.13 Russian troops have gradually expanded their bridgehead on the western bank of the Oskol River in the northern part of the Kharkiv region. The target is Kupyansk. This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defence.
13:59 The SBU has detained an FSB agent who used his common-law wife to collect data on the positions of the Defense Forces in Dnipro. He faces life imprisonment. This was reported by the SBU press service on Monday, January 27.
13:22 The first stage of the second underground school has opened in Kharkiv. 750 children are already studying here, and when the second stage of construction is completed, the school will accommodate almost a thousand students.
13:05 The Ukrainian defense industry complex has managed to attract foreign government investment totaling $1.5 billion. This was reported by the Minister for Strategic Industries German Smetanin. According to him, nine countries have joined the initiative: Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, the United States, and the European Union.
12:56 The increase in one-time payments for concluding a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry continues in Russian regions. This indicates critical problems with the recruitment of new military personnel. This is stated by the Center for Countering Disinformation.
12:18 Russians have once again shelled the Donetsk region. Destruction and casualties have been recorded in the region. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadym Filashkin. According to him, a person was killed in Pokrovsk.
11:55 At least 50 residential buildings were damaged in Kupyansk as a result of Russian airstrikes. The bodies of two women, aged 95 and 62, were recovered from the rubble. This was reported by the press service of the Kharkiv prosecutor's office.
11:22 Russian invaders once again struck the city of Nikopol with artillery. Five people were injured. The shelling caused a fire, which has already been extinguished by rescuers. An industrial enterprise was damaged.
11:14 By order of the Ministry of Defense, two additional healthcare institutions of the Ministry of Defense were designated in the central region, which will provide medical and psychological assistance to the captured servicemen.
10:39 Over the past week, Russian invaders increased pressure on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Chasovy Yar. In several places on the Seversky Donets Canal, they blew up pipes to create passages for the use of equipment. This was reported by the speaker of the Luhansk OTG Dmitry Zaporozhets.
9:59 North Korean troops have temporarily retreated from the front line in the Kursk region, suffering heavy losses. This was reported by the Ukrainian military in an interview with Sky News.
9:40 The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 57 Russian Shahed-type attack UAVs and other types of drones, and another 39 enemy drone imitators were lost. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.
9:25 On the night of January 27, Russian troops attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result of the shelling, infrastructure, residential high-rise buildings, private houses and an industrial enterprise were damaged. This was reported by the head of the OVA Serhiy Lysak.
8:44 Half of all battles on the front were recorded in the Pokrovsk direction. In total, 166 combat clashes occurred over the past 24 hours. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on its Facebook page.
8:26 On the night of Monday, January 27, the Russian army attacked the territory of Ukraine with attack drones. Explosions were also heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
7:58 The Russian army has lost 1,430 soldiers in the last 24 hours. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the enemy's losses amount to 831,620 soldiers. This is evidenced by the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
05:28 Russian occupiers have advanced near Toretsk, near Andreevka and Novoye Lizavetovka in Donetsk Oblast, DeepState reported.
03:21 In Dnepr, a UAV hit the roof of a multi-story building. A fire broke out there. Windows and doors on the upper floors of the building were damaged, and cars were damaged by debris and a blast wave near the impact site.
[TAC] FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 17, 2025) — A newly filed Kentucky House bill would expand current state law to prohibit state and local enforcement of any federal gun control measures enacted after December 15, 1791, the day the Second Amendment was ratified, drawing a bold line in defense of the right to keep and bear arms.
The lawsuits around this, should it pass in both houses of the Kentucky legislature and is passed into law, will be fascinating.
In 2023, the state enacted a law prohibiting Kentucky law enforcement agencies, local governments, and public agencies from "adopting a rule, order, ordinance, or policy under which the entity enforces, assists in the enforcement of, or otherwise cooperates in a "federal ban" on firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessory enacted on or before Jan. 1, 2021." It also prohibits the expenditure of public funds for the same.
Rep. T.J. Roberts and Rep. Felicia Rabourn filed House Bill 82 (HB82) to expand the current ban on state enforcement of a "federal ban" on firearms and ammunition to include any law, rule, or regulation effective after Dec. 15, 1791, the day the Second Amendment was ratified.
State law defined a "federal ban" as "a federal law, executive order, rule, or regulation ... that infringes upon, calls into question, prohibits, restricts, or requires individual licensure for or registration of the purchase, ownership, possession, transfer, or use of any firearm, ammunition, or firearm accessories."
State or local government agents who violate the law are subject to termination and misdemeanor criminal charges.
A person commits an offense under this section when, while acting in his or her official capacity under color of law, he or she knowingly violates this section. An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for each subsequent offense.
"I believe the ATF is evil and that Kentucky should never comply with federal gun control, so I introduced House Bill 82 to protect all peaceful people’s rights to keep and bear arms," Roberts said in a post on X.
IMPACT
Withdrawing state support would significantly hinder the enforcement of federal gun control in Kentucky.
The federal government relies heavily on state cooperation to implement and enforce almost all of its laws, regulations, and acts — including gun control. As noted by the National Governors’ Association during the partial government shutdown of 2013, "states are partners with the federal government on most federal programs."
By simply withdrawing this cooperation, states and localities can nullify many federal actions in practice and effect.
Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano agreed. In a televised discussion on the issue, he noted that a single state taking this step would make federal gun laws "nearly impossible" to enforce.
"Partnerships don’t work too well when half the team quits," Tenth Amendment Center director Michael Boldin said. "By withdrawing all resources and participation in federal gun control, states and even local governments can help bring these unconstitutional acts to their much-needed end."
LEGAL BASIS
Under the Constitution, the state can legally bar state and local agents from enforcing federal gun control. As Roberts noted, "The Supreme Court, before I was born, made clear that the federal government cannot force states to use their resources to aid federal gun control measures."
Based on James Madison’s advice for states and individuals in Federalist #46, a "refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union" represents an extremely effective method to bring down federal gun control measures because most enforcement actions rely on help, support, and leadership from state and local governments.
This strategy of using a "refusal to cooperate" with federal enforcement has been reaffirmed under the long-standing and well-established legal principle known as the anti-commandeering doctrine.
This legal concept dates back to the earliest days of the republic. As the third Chief Justice, Oliver Ellsworth put it, "This Constitution does not attempt to coerce sovereign bodies, states, in their political capacity."
Simply put, the federal government cannot force states to help implement or enforce any federal act or regulatory program.
The anti-commandeering doctrine is based primarily on five major Supreme Court cases dating back to 1842. Printz v. U.S. serves as the cornerstone.
"The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program."
No determination of constitutionality is necessary to invoke the anti-commandeering doctrine. State and local governments can refuse to enforce federal laws or implement federal programs whether they are constitutional or not.
WHAT’S NEXT
HB82 is currently in the House Committee on Committees. This committee must assign the bill to a House standing committee for further consideration.
#2
The Constitutional supremacy clause is in operation. They need to think outside the box. The state can beat it by establishing by law its own militia and who constitutes that militia. Those so enrolled would then be guaranteed the right to bear arms via the state law. They are the militia as per 2d Amendment.
#3
P2K I have wondered about that path too for the NFA restrictions as the 1789 militia act is still in full effect and it is expected for militia to provide their own arms and equipment.
EU foreign ministers agree on a “roadmap” to lift sanctions on Syria following the removal of Bashar al-Assad. Sanctions on energy and transport sectors may be suspended, with conditions tied to economic stability. #Syria#EU#Sanctionshttps://t.co/Vzr3gPDoyE
[ShabelleMedia] In a significant security operation, the largest deployment of Federal Government forces in recent days has been carried out in the areas between Jazeera and Afgooye, on high alert to secure the capital.
The forces were seen patrolling the outskirts of Mogadishu, conducting extensive vehicle inspections as part of their heightened vigilance. The operation, authorities say, is aimed at preventing potential attacks from outside the city’s periphery.
These military movements are occurring alongside security meetings aimed at reinforcing the capital’s safety. Mohammed Ahmed Amir, the Governor of Banadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu, chaired a meeting to discuss accelerating security efforts and improving cooperation between district authorities and security agencies.
The Mayor received briefings from security officials, praising the ongoing successes in securing the region, which have led to increased community satisfaction in Banadir. He urged further collaboration between the security agencies and district governments to ensure the safety of the capital.
The meeting also addressed other pressing issues, including improving sanitation and cleanliness in the city, boosting revenue collection efforts, preparing for the upcoming rainy season, and ensuring accountability in public service duties.
The Officials were reminded to carry out their responsibilities with dedication, integrity, and fear of God, and to ensure that they would be held accountable for their actions in serving the people.
Among those present at the meeting were the Deputy Governor of Security and Politics for Banadir, Mohammed Ahmed Diiriye (Yabooh), commanders from the Mogadishu Regional Guard, police and intelligence units, and local district chiefs.
[IsraelTimes] Israel says Hamas list shows 18 of remaining first-phase hostages are alive, 8 are dead; delegation from terror group arrives in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal implementation
The Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... terror group released a propaganda video Monday evening of civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud, who is due to be released on Thursday. In the video, Yehoud says the date is January 25, meaning it was apparently filmed on Saturday. Yehoud reassures her family that she is "okay," and says she hopes to return home soon "like the other girls."
Islamic Jihad and Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... have previously issued similar videos of hostages held by them, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Yehoud was supposed to have been released over the weekend, as she is a civilian, but Hamas instead released four IDF surveillance soldiers: Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag.
Israel announced Sunday night that the dispute over Yehoud’s release had been resolved, with the terror group set to release six hostages in two batches this week, including Yehoud and the last remaining surveillance soldier, Agam Berger.
The fate of Yehoud was briefly a major sticking point in the deal’s implementation, with Israel blocking the return of Paleostinians to northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... after Hamas released the four female soldiers on Saturday. Under the ceasefire and hostage release deal, the terror group was required to prioritize the release of civilian women.
Once the dispute was resolved, Israel allowed Paleostinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor and return to northern Gaza starting at 7 a.m. Monday morning. According to Hamas, "more than 300,000 displaced" Paleostinians returned to the north throughout the day.
Yehoud is being held by Islamic Jihad, which was reportedly falsely describing her as a soldier and demanding more prisoners be released in return for her. The Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday evening that PIJ agreed to classify her as a civilian, helping resolve the crisis.
Yehoud, 28, and her boyfriend Ariel Cunio, 26, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led holy warriors stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
18 ALIVE, 8 DEAD
Israel said Monday that Hamas finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages, which showed that 18 of the 26 remaining hostages still to be freed are alive and eight are dead, but did not specify which are alive or dead.
Government front man David Mencer conveyed the Hamas information to journalists on Monday.
Thirty-three hostages are being freed in phase one of the deal, including the seven living hostages who have gone free since the implementation of the agreement began on January 19.
Hebrew media reported Monday that some of the families of the hostages slated to be released were being informed that there is concern for their loved ones’ lives. Among those whose fates are unknown are Shiri Silberman Bibas, her husband Yarden Bibas, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir.
Speaking to Kan, Yarden’s sister Ofri Bibas said, "We have known that there is grave fear for their lives, since Hamas’s announcement at the end of the previous deal," she said, referring to the terror group’s claim in November 2023, that Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir had been killed.
Whether hostages are alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking uncertainty for their families, who have pushed Israel’s government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time is running out.
Eighty-seven of those kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 onslaught remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
In addition to the seven hostages released during a ceasefire that began this month, Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages were rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military, as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza this month.
HAMAS DELEGATION IN CAIRO
A high-ranking Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday evening, saying it aimed to discuss the implementation of all three phases of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The Hamas statement said the delegation includes big shot Mohammed Darwish and other prominent members of its leadership council and negotiating team.
The terror group said meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ensuring progress in the ceasefire’s implementation and addressing any challenges in the ongoing exchange of hostages and Paleostinian prisoners. The Hamas delegation will also meet with Paleostinian prisoners released under the ceasefire’s six-week first phase that began just over a week ago.
Egypt is a key mediator in ceasefire talks and part of the joint committee implementing the deal.
The Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo as US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... ’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is on a diplomatic trip in the region, in part to work to secure the implementation of the second and third phases of the ceasefire deal.
Witkoff is slated to visit Israel this week, after visiting Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel to Washington next week to meet with Trump, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
The trip has not been finalized and will be dependent on Netanyahu’s health, as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Thursday.
If he travels, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term, a gesture from the US president to the Israeli leader, in return for him acceding to pressure to reach a deal in Gaza.
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] In Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. This Is A Man That Does Not Seem Demented... 's last days in the White House, he issued another round of commutations for prisoners, totaling nearly 2,500 people. Among the list of those whose sentences were commuted was that of Adrian Peeler, a man who was convicted in the 1999 murder of an 8-year-old boy and his mother.
Peeler was included on a list of inmates whose prison sentences will now expire on July 16, 2025, with $10,000 being taken off their fine or restitution amounts, if applicable.
According to the Hartford Courant, Peeler was convicted for the January 1999 shooting death of 8-year-old Leroy "B.J." Brown and his mother Karen Clarke. He reportedly conducted the killings on orders from his older brother Russell Peeler, who was a partner in their Bridgeport narco gang. Prosecutors said at the time that Russell was about to be tried for killing Clarke's boyfriend, Rudolf Snead, who was a rival drug pusher in the Connecticut city, and the brothers wanted to eliminate B.J. as a witness against Russell. The 8-year-old had told police that he and another boy were sitting in Snead's car and saw Russell Peeler shoot Snead in a 1997 drive-by-attack, of which he survived.
Adrian Peeler was sentenced to 25 years on state charges of conspiring to murder Clarke and her son and 35 years on federal drug trafficking charges, which were ordered to be serviced concurrently. Peeler completed the state murder conspiracy sentence in December 2021 and was transferred to federal custody. Peeler's federal sentence was reduced to 15 years. Peeler, without the commutation, would have been released in October 2033.
The Peeler case led to the creation of the LeRoy Brown, Jr. and Karen Clarke Witness Protection Program. Then-Deputy Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano, who developed the program, said, "Wow — are you — kidding me? Biden did that? Where's the prosecutor screaming and yelling about this?"
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who served as the state's Attorney General at the time of the case, said in a statement, "It seems to me that someone dropped the ball here to let his person get released. This was a really vicious murder that changed our laws. It also highlights how we need to take a look at the pardon system to see how it can be improved," according to the CT Mirror.
Connecticut House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said, "Former President Biden's clemency for Adrian Peeler is a disgusting miscarriage of justice. Peeler's conviction tied to brutal murders that prompted the creation of Connecticut's witness protection program makes any leniency — federal or otherwise — utterly indefensible. This reckless act by Joe Biden dismisses the pain of the victims' families and erodes public trust in the principles of justice. Such a careless decision at the close of his term should generate outrage here and throughout the nation."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2025
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#1
That's the real investigation - who was who in the White House putting these things before the non compos mentis man. The nation deserves the names.
Syrian General Security arrests drug traffickers in Deir ez-Zor, targeting major dealers in Al-Quriyah and Al-Bukamal. Seized drugs and weapons highlight the ongoing battle against trafficking. #Syria#DeirEzZorhttps://t.co/DkvCA39Ew8
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] Interim US attorney for Washington, DC Edward R. Martin Jr. has requested that two top prosecutors in his office conduct an internal review of the department's handling of Capitol riot cases.
A Monday email to staff, obtained by the Washington Post, stated that Martin had appointed Chief of the Criminal Division Denise Cheung, and Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights section Denise Cheung to lead a "special project" investigating the over 250 cases in which the office had charged over 250 people with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the statute was too broadly applied to the cases.
Martin wrote in the email, "Obviously, the use was a great failure of our office — and we need to get to the bottom of it." Martin expects a preliminary report by Friday. "Please deliver to Jonathan and/or Denise
…clearly one of the two times Ms Cheung is named was meant to be Jonathan [something]…
all information you have related to the use of 1512 charges including all files, documents, notes, emails and other information." The 1512 number refers to the obstruction statute's section number in the federal code, the outlet reported.
Martin was temporarily appointed to the post on January 20 for 120 days, but told employees at an introductory staff meeting that he expects to serve in the role permanently, a person in attendance and others briefed on the meeting told the Post. Before his time in the role, Martin was a defense attorney for three January 6 defendants.
Martin has closed the office's Capitol breach prosecution unit and removed its chief Gregg Rosen.
Another Trump promise kept.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government," under which he ordered the Attorney General, in consultation with other department and agency heads, "take appropriate action to review the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States" over the last four years and "identify any instances where a department's or agency's conduct appears to have been contrary to the purposes and policies of this order."
Also on his first day in office, Trump signed pardons for around 1,500 January 6 defendants. Speaking at Capital One Arena ahead of the signing, Trump told the crowd, "we're going to release our great hostages" that "didn't do stuff wrong."
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] Notorious never-Trump "journalist" Jim Acosta is leaving CNN, according to a new report.
Oliver Darcy's Status News was the first to report the news:
"The anchor, I'm told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network after its chief executive, Mark Thompson, booted him from the morning programming lineup — a move that conspicuously coincided with Donald Trump's return to power.
"CNN brass, as we first reported earlier this month, decided to strip Acosta of his 10am show, which he has anchored to great ratings success over the last 11 months, at times even seeing higher viewership than programs in the channel's prime time bloc. Acosta was instead offered the less-than-desirable option of anchoring a show from midnight until 2am ET. CNN pitched the gig to Acosta as anchoring during prime time on the West Coast and said he could move to Los Angeles to host the program. But the reality is the program would have aired at a time in which cable news viewership is at its lowest levels."
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
01/28/2025 5:07
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#3
Remember!!!
The Clinton News Network hired him, directed him, and approved his journalism for broadcast.
Likely, the only reason he is being cut is, CNN is looking at drastically dropping viewer #'s across the board. Plus, they can hire some Biden oddity a lot cheaper.
#4
strip Acosta of his 10am show, which he has anchored to great ratings success over the last 11 months, at times even seeing higher viewership than programs in the channel's prime time bloc
A very low bar to clear. Like being the tallest midget
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2025 6:36
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[IsraelTimes] Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal supporters set aside intense rivalry to celebrate as they cover up Damari ‘kidnapped’ posters with new stickers celebrating fellow fan’s release.
Although the team’s fans did not know Damari before she was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, she became a symbol to them, especially amid recent increased campaigning efforts to get her released.
“I don’t know her, I’ve never met her, but there was something very personal about her not just being a British hostage but being a Spurs fan. It was a fantastic moment last week when we saw her finally released,” a fan named Damian told Channel 12.
The Spurs fans were not alone in celebrating Damari’s return, however, as Channel 12 reported that fans of rival teams Chelsea and Arsenal joined them.
All three teams’ fans united in singing a chant Spurs fans have been singing in recent months, changing the lyrics to the tribute to former Tottenham skipper Harry Kane “he’s one of our own,” to “she’s one of our own, bring Emily home,” and finally on Sunday to “Emily’s home.”
[IsraelTimes] Instructions reportedly sent to El Al, Arkia, and Israir airlines; flights will land at Larnaca airport instead; no travel advisory issued on visiting Paphos
The Shin Bet security agency on Sunday ordered the suspension of Israeli commercial flights to Paphos in Cyprus, citing security concerns.
Cypriot officials confirmed the suspension of Israeli flights to the airport, a terminal catering mainly to charter traffic on the western coast of Cyprus. Flights will instead land at Larnaca airport and from there, travelers can make their way to Paphos.
The Shin Bet said in a statement that “the decision to concentrate flights to and from Cyprus to the Larnaca airfield is based on various security considerations.”
There was no travel ban or advisory for Paphos itself, a popular summer vacation destination for Israelis that has a Chabad house.
The suspension instruction was issued to Israel’s national carrier El Al as well as charter services Arkia and Israir.
“The Republic of Cyprus is aware of the change in scheduling, for security reasons, of Israeli companies from and to Paphos airport. This happened some days ago,” a Cypriot official told Reuters.
“Flights (from Israel) are continuing normally to Larnaca,” the official added, referring to Cyprus’s largest international airport.
Paphos is the smaller of Cyprus’s two airports and abuts a military base slated for an upgrade by the US.
Staying out from underfoot while work is being done?
According to its winter flight schedule available online, there are up to 10 flights a week from Tel Aviv and seven flights a week from Haifa.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 01/27/2025 to 00:00 01/28/2025.
A total of 27 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Four civilians were reported injured
DAMAGED:
Six residential buildings
One tram
Three civil infrastructure facilities
A total of 27 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 108 units of various ammunition were fired.
19:49 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Paratroopers continue to push out the enemy. Servicemen of the Ussuri separate guards airborne assault unit, with the support of artillery fire and UAV strikes, improved the position along the front line and, having forced the Snagost River, liberated the settlement of Nikolayevo-Daryino in the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region.
As a result of counter-battery fire, the airborne artillery suppressed the Ukrainian Armed Forces' firing positions and destroyed the exposed command posts. Combat UAV crews disabled enemy tanks and armored vehicles.
Having demoralized the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants with precise strikes, the paratroopers went on the assault in small groups.
The enemy fled, leaving behind the wounded and dead. Some of the militants laid down their arms and surrendered.
18:55 Our mortars hit without missing.
A 120mm mortar crew from the separate guards naval infantry regiment of the Caspian Flotilla of the North group of forces destroyed a group of infantry that carried out rotation in positions and a crew of a heavy machine gun of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Objective control data from the reconnaissance UAV confirmed the destruction of the targets. After completing the combat mission, the crew quickly camouflaged the weapon and retreated to cover.
16:51 "Seventy-second" they are smashing enemy fortifications.
The crews of T-72B3 tanks of the Ivanovo Guards Airborne Unit continue to provide fire support to the assault units of the Airborne Forces, destroying enemy manpower in multi-story buildings and workshops in the industrial zone in the village of Chasov Yar.
15:01 Powerful cover. Su-35s crew completed combat mission to escort Su-34 fighter-bombers carrying out strikes on strongholds and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border areas of the Kursk region.
14:12 The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost another tank.
During reconnaissance activities in the border area of the Kursk region, servicemen of the Sever military group used a drone to reveal movement of a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank that fired towards Russian units. The enemy tank was destroyed as a result of a precise hit from an FPV drone.
13:02 A productive start to the week.
Calculation of FPV drones of the Rubicon center destroyed artillery gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
09:53 The brave ones continue to build on their success.
Footage of liberation of the settlement of Zelenoe DPR. During the offensive actions in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, assault units of the "Center" group of forces destroyed firing points and command and observation posts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with UAV strikes. Artillery crews were used to destroy the exposed enemy positions. After that, the assault aircraft entered the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and destroyed the remnants of the garrison.
07:15 Russian Ministry of Defense:
During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed 32 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted: 15 over the territory of the Voronezh region; 11 over the territory of the Belgorod region; four over the territory of the Kursk region; one each over the territories of the Oryol and Tver regions.
05:03 Firepower of the Hurricane.
Servicemen of the 220mm BM-27 Uragan MLRS crew struck fortified enemy stronghold in the Krasnoarmeysk direction. Fire adjustments and hit accuracy were recorded by reconnaissance UAV operators.
03:15 Russian troops launch missile strike struck the 65th workshop of the Motor Sich plant in Zaporozhye, controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Rogov told RIA Novosti.
The workshop building was completely destroyed, and spans in the adjacent administrative buildings also collapsed.
According to him, power units for aircraft were manufactured in workshop No. 65. Now the possibility of quickly restarting production is excluded, Rogov added.
[IsraelTimes] Military doctor refuses to discuss possible torture or abuse to maintain their privacy; says hostages’ injuries were not properly treated, they bear signs of mild starvation
Some of the hostages released from Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... during the ceasefire had been held in Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... tunnels for up to eight months straight, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact, an Israeli general said on Monday.
Three Israeli civilians and four soldiers — all women — have been released so far in the ceasefire, which began on January 19. In return, Israel has released 290 Paleostinian convicts and detainees.
"Some of them told us that they’ve been in the past few months, that they’ve been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground," the deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, told journalists online.
"Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there," he said. "Those who said they were together were in better shape."
The military oversees the first health checks that the hostages receive upon their arrival in Israeli territory.
The hostages said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Banov said, when they were allowed to shower and change their clothes and received better food. They appeared to be smiling in videos on the days of their release.
However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese... Eitan Gonen, father of Romi Gonen, who was released last week, stressed that their smiles were not an indication they were being treated well by Hamas.
"The smiles aren’t a testament to the conditions they were under; they’re because of the [hostages’] joy that they’re no longer in the hands of the Nazis. If you were rescued from hell, and someone offered you a hand, wouldn’t you smile?" he told Walla on Monday.
Citing the hostages’ privacy, Banov would not say whether any of the seven hostages released since last week bore signs of torture or abuse.
Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were captured during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and some showed signs of "mild starvation," he said.
Among the hostages who were released recently, Emily Damari is missing two fingers as a result of being shot in her hand on October 7, and Daniella Gilboa still has a bullet in her leg that her aunt said will be removed in the near future.
The three civilians, released on the first day of the ceasefire, were discharged from hospital on Sunday. The four soldiers, freed in the ceasefire’s second swap on Saturday, were still being treated in another medical center.
Eitan Gonen, father of 24-year-old Romi Gonen, who was released on January 19, told the Kan public broadcaster that while in captivity she had heard some of the radio interviews he had given.
“Even if only 10% of the interviews reach the hostages’ ears, it is enough to give them strength,” he said. “It gave her a lot of strength, energy and great hope.”
Twenty-six women, children, elderly, ill or injured hostages are still meant to be released in the next six weeks as part of the first phase of the ceasefire. Hamas provided a list late on Sunday detailing their condition.
Israeli authorities have said that they believe most due to be released in the first phase are alive and they fear for the lives of the rest. They have given no new details since receiving the list.
Banov said he expected that some of next hostages to be released “will be more ill and also people who have died during their time in Gaza.”
[IsraelTimes] Hezbollah said to call on Lebanese civilians to provoke clashes with IDF; Katz warns truce violators on northern or southern borders will ‘pay the full price’
Israel and Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... have agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until February 18, after the 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November passed on Sunday and Israel requested more time.
Israel has said that it needs to stay longer because the Lebanese army has not deployed to all areas of southern Lebanon, as agreed, to ensure that terror group Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence there. The Lebanese army has said it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw.
The White House said in a statement Sunday that "the arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until February 18, 2025." It added that the respective governments "will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023."
Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, with rocket and drones one day after its ally Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... attacked Israel in the south in a devastating onslaught.
US President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... ’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said in response to the announcement that "the Israeli government was great, they’re a great partner of the United States, they’re a principled ally for us, and they’ve done pretty good work over in Lebanon."
Speaking to news hounds he said that if the developments are any indication of the two sides’ ability to overcome "blips," there is reason to be positive about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire holding further.
Announcement of the extension came the day the deadline passed for Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon.
There was no specific comment from the Israeli government but Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media platform X that "we will continue to vigorously enforce the ceasefires in the north and south. Anyone who violates the rules or who threatens the IDF — will pay the full price."
Katz was referring as well to a ceasefire in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... war that began last Sunday and that has also seen bumps along its path in the past few days.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati also confirmed the extension of the Lebanon ceasefire.
After talks with the US, Mikati said Monday the government would "continue implementing the ceasefire agreement until February 18, 2025."
However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... Hezbollah has reportedly rejected the extension and is urging south Lebanese residents to continue confrontations with the IDF. Deadly festivities took place Sunday when hundreds of Lebanese marched on Israeli soldiers, many of them carrying Hezbollah banners, ignoring warning shots and calls to turn back. Lebanese health officials said Israeli soldiers killed 22 people in the violence.
The al-Akhbar outlet, considered a mouthpiece for Hezbollah, wrote Monday that "what happened yesterday will be completed today, with more popular crowds, from the people of the border villages...where people will not wait for permission to complete the process of removing the occupation forces from the last sites they still occupy."
Sources told the outlet that Hezbollah informed aligned Lebanese politician Mohammad Raad that it "does not participate in any internal or external communications regarding extending the 60-day period, and that it adheres to the text of the agreement and the necessity of the enemy’s withdrawal without any delay."
Hezbollah, badly weakened by Israel during the war, has put the onus on the Lebanese state to ensure the IDF’s withdrawal, describing Israel’s failure to leave southern Lebanon by the deadline as a violation of the agreement.
The ceasefire deal stipulates that Hezbollah pull back its forces north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south. The Lebanese military was to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdrew.
Israel’s military says its forces have continued to uncover and seize Hezbollah weapons in prohibited areas and that the Lebanese army is not keeping to its part of the deal.
[IsraelTimes] Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says many of those killed were from religious minorities, rebels used ‘unprecedented level of cruelty and violence’
Fighters affiliated with Syria’s new Islamist leaders have carried out 35 summary executions over 72 hours, mostly of Assad-era officers, a war monitor said Sunday.
The authorities, installed by the rebel forces that toppled longtime president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... last month, said they had carried out multiple arrests in the western Homs area over unspecified "violations."
Official news agency SANA said the authorities on Friday accused members of a "criminal group" who used a security sweep to commit abuses against residents, "posing as members of the security services."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that "these arrests follow grave violations and summary executions that had cost the lives of 35 people over the past 72 hours."
It also said that "members of religious minorities" had suffered "humiliations."
Most of those executed are former officers in the toppled Assad government who had presented themselves in centers set up by the new authorities, according to the Britannia-based monitor of unclear funding with a network of sources inside Syria.
"Dozens of members of local gangs under the control of the new Sunni Islamist coalition in power who participated in the security operations" in the Homs area "have been arrested," the Observatory said.
It added that these groups "carried out reprisals and settled old scores with members of the Alawite minority to which Bashir al-Assad belongs, taking advantage of the state of chaos, the proliferations of arms and their ties to the new authorities."
The Observatory listed "mass arbitrary arrests, atrocious abuse, attacks against religious symbols, mutilations of corpses, summary and brutal executions targeting civilians," which it said showed "an unprecedented level of cruelty and violence."
Civil Peace Group, a civil society organization, said in a statement that there had been civilian victims in multiple villages in the Homs area during the security sweep.
The group "condemned the unjustified violations" including the killing of ungunnies.
Since seizing power, the new authorities have sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities in Syria that their rights would be upheld.
Members of Assad’s Alawite minority have expressed fear of retaliation over abuses during his clan’s decades in power.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the issue of Russian military bases in Syria will be resolved in accordance with established norms. The statement was published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic.
The head of the department emphasized that the decision will be made by the Syrian government and people.
Thank you for your unnecessary input. Now go away.
"I think it is clear what Russia expects from Syria. Everyone knows this, as well as the situation with the bases. The head of the new Syrian government in Damascus was asked about the status of these bases, and he answered. Frankly, I think that over time this situation will be resolved properly," Fidan said.
The current head of the Syrian government is Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Julani.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the new Syrian authorities are negotiating with the Russian Federation on the future of the Russian military bases located on Syrian territory, but the parties have not yet been able to reach an agreement. This was reported on January 22 by the Minister of Defense in the transitional Syrian government, Murhaf Abu Kasra.
On January 22, the new Syrian authorities terminated the contract for the expansion and modernization of the Tartus port, which was concluded between the country and a Russian company in 2019. Tartus Customs Director Riyad Judi clarified that all revenues from the port's activities will be used in the interests of the Syrian state.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov said on December 12 that Russia expects to maintain military bases in Syria due to their important role in the fight against international terrorism. The diplomat said that Moscow has established contacts in Syria with the political committee of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation).
On December 8, Bashar al-Assad resigned as president and left Syria, ordering a peaceful transfer of power. He and his family arrived in Russia, where they were granted asylum.
[BenarNews] Southeast Asian nation is considering seeking repatriation of Hambali – detained at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay since 2006 – whose case remains resolved.
Indonesia’s new government is considering seeking a key Bali bombing suspect’s return from Guantanamo Bay because, its law minister said, Jakarta is as concerned about its citizens imprisoned abroad as it is in repatriating some foreign convicts.
Jakarta’s acknowledgement that Hambali ...real name Riduan Isamuddin, close personal friend of Osama bin Laden, one of the founders of Jemaah Islamiyah and the planner of the 2002 Bali bombings. He was captured with the help of a mid-Eastern intel service, shipped to Guantanamo to rot but he'll likely be released eventually because that was a long time ago and we were all so much younger then... , the suspect in jug at the U.S. military base in Cuba, is Indonesian marks a reversal. Analysts say the change may be linked to his bully boy group Jemaah Islamiyah disbanding or President Prabowo Subianto’s historical concern for the rights of citizens abroad.
The reason given by Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia’s law minister, referred to Jakarta’s repatriation last month of a Filipina and five Australian drug convicts.
"Our primary concern is ensuring the protection and legal assistance for all Indonesian nationals abroad, regardless of their actions," Yusril told news hounds in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"This demonstrates to the public that the government is not only concerned with foreign prisoners in Indonesia but also cares for Indonesian citizens detained abroad," he had told news hounds last week, state news agency Antara reported.
BenarNews contacted Yusril’s office, which confirmed his comments to the media.
Hambali, whose real name is Encep Nurjaman, has been detained without trial for 18 years at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, with his case still unresolved.
The three bombs that targeted Bali nightclubs on Oct. 12, 2002, killed 202 people. The attacks were blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian bully boy network linked to al-Qaeda — Hambali was a big shot.
Now 60 years old, Hambali was first arraigned before a U.S. military judge only in 2021. Another pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled next week, from Jan. 27 until Jan. 31.
The latest developments in Indonesia related to the Hambali case follow the quiet repatriation last month of two Malaysian accomplices in the 2002 Bali bombings.
Yusril said that recent efforts through the previous Indonesian government to establish communication with Hambali through the Foreign Ministry had failed.
"We also asked the United States to expedite his trial, but that has not happened. In earlier discussions, repatriation for trial in Indonesia was considered," Yusril said.
Sidney Jones, senior advisor at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, said that bringing Hambali back home was "the right thing to do."
"Nothing justifies the treatment Hambali has endured, including reported torture and indefinite detention," Jones told BenarNews.
"If he had been tried in Indonesia after his 2003 arrest, he might have received a life sentence."
The country’s counterterrorism unit, Detachment 88, though, is capable of monitoring him effectively, Jones said.
A front man for the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) declined to comment about why the government had reversed its position on Hambali.
As recently as 2021, the government denied that Hambali was an Indonesian citizen, citing his ownership of a foreign passport, and rejected any consideration of bringing him back.
Guantanamo Bay, a facility criticized globally for holding suspects indefinitely without trial, has long been a symbol of the post-9/11 war on terror, noted Al Chaidar, a terrorism analyst from Malikussaleh University in Lhokseumawe.
"This is the United States’ greatest failure — claiming to uphold democracy but disregarding the rule of law," he said.
"Hambali has been detained for more than 20 years without resolution."
Adlini Ilma Ghaisany Sjah, a terrorism researcher at Nanyang Technological University, told BenarNews "it’s possible" that this Indonesian government’s shift is related to the end of JI.
"The Indonesian police have also announced plans to repatriate 16 former JI members from Syria and 10 from the Philippines, which could indicate a broader shift in policy," said Adlini, from the Singapore university’s Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.
Besides, Prabowo has in the past championed the rights of Indonesian nationals abroad.
For instance, Prabowo himself advocated for the eventually successful return in 2021 of an Indonesian domestic worker on death row in Malaysia.
It is possible that if Jakarta requested Hambali’s repatriation, it may face resistance from the new U.S. administration under Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... , Ian Wilson from Murdoch University in Australia told BenarNews.
"Considering Trump’s support for keeping the Guantanamo internment camp in operation, it would seem unlikely he’d be receptive to the idea of repatriation," said Wilson, a lecturer in politics and security studies.
"[That is] unless it was part of a deal seen as having clear benefits for his administration."
Wilson was referring to Trump’s earlier term as president, when he signed an executive order in 2018 to keep Guantanamo open.
Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, Buford bit the snake and Eloise began speaking in tongues... one of Hambali’s younger brothers, Kankan Abdulkodir, told BenarNews that he had heard of talk regarding the potential repatriation and expressed hope for the best.
Kankan said the family last spoke to Hambali via video call last December, during which he told them he was in good health, but they were not allowed to discuss his legal case.
"If it is his fate to be released, then I hope it will happen," Kankan said.
"But if he has to stay at Guantanamo Bay, then so be it."
[IsraelTimes] Iran has purchased Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander says, amid Western concerns about Tehran and Moscow’s growing military cooperation.
This is the first time an Iranian official has confirmed the purchase of Su-35 jets. However, Ali Shadmani, who was quoted by Iran’s official Student News Network, does not clarify how many jets were purchased and whether they had already been delivered to Iran.
“Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, land, and naval forces… The production of military equipment has also accelerated,” the deputy Coordinator of the Khatam-ol-Anbia Central Headquarters says.
Earlier this month, Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership which did not mention arms transfers but said the two will develop their “military-technical cooperation.”
Iran’s air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian jets as well as aging US models acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Artillery shelling by Turkish forces and affiliated #SNA factions kills two children and injures a woman in the countryside of #Raqqa, northern #Syria.https://t.co/wkEM6eUYLU
[IsraelTimes] Police say main suspect transferred sensitive information about missile defense technology to Iranian handler for money, later recruited friend who served at IDF headquarters
The police and Shin Bet security service arrested two IDF reservists for alleged espionage on behalf of Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in return for financial compensation, it was announced Monday.
The main suspect, Yuri Eliasfov, 21, served in the military’s Iron Dome unit and passed along highly sensitive material about the missile defense technology to his Iranian handler, police said in a statement.
The material included a video that Eliasfov filmed of the aerial defense system, according to Hebrew-language reports.
The reservist later recruited the second suspect in the case, his friend Georgi Andreyev, 21, into the espionage scheme.
The Ynet news site reported that Eliasfov received $2,500 from the Iranian agent, while Andreyev received $50.
Law enforcement officials filed a prosecutor’s statement against the two suspects on Monday, accusing them of serious security offenses including contact with a foreign agent, transferring classified information and aiding the enemy during wartime.
Their detention has been extended until Friday. Police expect prosecutors to file an indictment in the coming days against them in the Haifa District Court. Both suspects are residents of the Krayot suburbs of Haifa.
According to the Ynet news site Eliasfov initially reached out to the Iranian agent, who he found while looking for ways to make money. The two first came into contact in September, Haaretz reported.
According to the Ynet news site, Eliasfov initially spray-painted pro-Iranian graffiti and hung banners in Tel Aviv carrying the slogan "Children of Ruhollah," referring to Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader following the Islamic Revolution.
He then showed the graffiti to his friend, Andreyev, who was at the time serving in the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, and convinced him to join him as an accomplice.
Andreyev later backed out of the scheme due to fear of legal repercussions, reported Ynet.
Over the past two years, Iranian intelligence operatives have ramped up their efforts to recruit ordinary Israelis as spies in exchange for money.
Last December, the police arrested nearly 30 Israelis, mostly Jewish citizens, for espionage activities on behalf of Iran.
In most of these cases, the suspects began by carrying out small, innocuous tasks which gradually grew into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and liquidation plots.
In October 2024, seven Israelis were arrested for allegedly photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, which were targeted by both Iran and Hezbollah in 2024.
Police have cautioned Israeli citizens and residents against "engaging in contact with foreign operatives and carrying out tasks for them," in a statement earlier, and vowed to take "the utmost legal action against those involved in such activities."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Novikov
[REGNUM] January 27 is the anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad. The date is not a round one: Russia and the world celebrated the 80th anniversary of the final liberation of the city last year, in 2024. But for the descendants of those who survived the siege, the "beauty" of the date is of no importance.
Every year on the anniversary of the beginning of the blockade, September 8, and on the day of liberation, January 27, residents of St. Petersburg and Leningrad remember those who did not survive the 872 days of the continuously ongoing catastrophe, and those who defended the city on the Pulkovo line and the Nevsky patch, worked and shared with their loved ones the crumbs of the rations they received from their work cards.
IA Regnum assessed those who condemned the city of almost three million to starvation, and told in detail about the feat of the soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. Today the author will share the story of his family, in order to show the everyday life of blockaded Leningrad using its example.
Our family keeps the story of our grandmother, Maria Nikolaevna Sapikova. She was born during the Civil War, in 1918, into a peasant family. Her parents, Nikolai Fedorovich and Pelageya Ilyinichna, had a traditionally large family - two sons and four daughters. The memory has been preserved that great-grandfather and great-grandmother "ran a single-handed household" - with a cow, a horse and pigs.
In Leningrad, in the pre-war years, Maria Nikolaevna first worked in the printing house named after Evgenia Sokolova (by the way, before the revolution this printing house was named after Marx, but not Karl, but Adolf Marx, a publisher and teacher), and eight years later - at the Printing Yard, where she typeset school textbooks. Including in Finnish - for the Karelo-Finnish Republic and, who knows, perhaps for Finland that was never Sovietized.
In August 1941, when the Wehrmacht on one side and the Finnish army on the other were approaching Leningrad, Maria Sapikova was sent along with thousands of Leningraders to dig trenches and fortifications near the regional center of Kingisepp.
The first weeks and months of the blockade - autumn and early winter - were spent on "public works": Maria Nikolaevna told how she dismantled wooden houses for firewood, cleared snow, cleaned roads, kept watch on the roofs of houses, and put out incendiary bombs.
Her older sister Elizaveta worked in the city (our family lived on the outskirts, almost in a village) at a defense plant and - fortunately, her health allowed it - donated blood at donor stations.
Then, in the first days of the blockade, the first sad news arrived - the ex-wife of Maria Nikolaevna's older brother died from a shrapnel wound - she went to the market in our outlying area of Novaya Derevnya and came under fire.
Brother, Alexander Nikolaevich, was at the forefront of the Leningrad Front at that time. He still had to go through the Great Patriotic War to Victory and take part in the war with Japan. Their little three-year-old daughter Irina lived with her grandmother, Pelageya Ilyinichna, throughout the blockade.
But the family was facing their first winter of the siege. They hid from the bombings in makeshift shelters, something like trenches (there were no bomb shelters on the outskirts of Leningrad, in the Novaya Derevnya area), and they also had to go to the river for water - in our case, we went to the Bolshaya Nevka with buckets. The windows were covered with blankets, and the rooms were lit by small oil lamps. The meager rations in the family were divided among brothers, the best piece was given to the children.
For "grammiki" - bread rations, we went to the bakery in Serebryakov Lane at six o'clock. Our family was saved by the fact that everyone was actively working, even the dependents: Elizaveta, Maria's older sister, went to babysit the neighbors' children, Elena carried water for people, the boys chopped wood in other people's yards. It was also saved by the fact that the family, living on the outskirts, was not exactly city people - they worked in the vegetable gardens, "on potatoes and vegetables", in the hayfields they prepared fodder for the cattle
Winters were more difficult. At first, during the blockade, the family had to make do with what was left from their own reserves of their subsistence farming; later, they ate bran and "duranda" - pressed bars made from what was left over from flour production. Essentially, cake.
This "duranda" could be steamed in a saucepan, and it turned out to be something like porridge. The cake, from which they baked flat cakes, is mentioned in many blockade memoirs - there were stories that even during the "two famines" - the hungriest winters of the blockade - some managed to save grains from the 10-gram "ration" of sugar, add them to the "duranda", and it turned out to be something like candy for children.
But death from hunger, cold and disease was close by - and it was not a figure of speech. The family remembers the poems from the blockade cycle by Olga Berggolts:
On children's sleds, narrow and funny,
They carry blue water in saucepans,
firewood and belongings, the dead and the sick...
Grandmother Maria also recalled these children's sleds, on which Leningraders carried the bodies of the dead. Often people simply did not have the strength to walk to the cemetery, they could leave the sled with the deceased relative in any yard, so the family always locked the gates closer to evening.
In the second year of the blockade, our "peasant" house on the outskirts was dismantled for the needs of the army, and the large family had to move to the center - to a five-story apartment building No. 90 on Bolshoy Prospekt Petrogradskaya Storona. After the move, the family's situation became more complicated: if earlier they could somehow rely on their own farm, now any additional opportunities were cut off.
And the ration was, as is known, only 125 grams of bread (often with the same cake) per day for employees and dependents, and 250 grams for workers. Some of the relatives were evacuated from the city. Olga, one of my grandmother's sisters, was seriously ill and taken to Kazan, but died there in 1943. Her little daughter Tamara remained in Leningrad with her grandmother. Tamara's father, Grigory Sheloukhin, died of starvation in 1942, and is buried at the Serafimovskoye Cemetery.
The head, the "patriarch" of the family - great-grandfather Nikolai Fyodorovich Sapikov - died of hunger, and great-grandmother Pelageya Ilyinichna became the head of the family, she strictly ran the household and always fairly divided the bread. Despite all the horrors of the blockade, she managed to raise both granddaughters and save their lives. And great-grandmother Pelageya also helped the front as much as she could: she sewed underwear and warm clothes for the soldiers.
Just as women now, including in St. Petersburg, are helping the SVO - weaving camouflage nets, making trench candles, collecting the same warm clothes...
As Grandmother Maria recalled, this responsibility for the survival of loved ones helped to preserve oneself as individuals. But on the other hand, this same responsibility itself could become the cause of death, along with hunger, disease, and death from almost daily German shelling.
In the spring of 1943, when the blockade seemed endless, a disease specific to the city was registered in Leningrad, which often resulted in death.
At least every third person dying in Leningrad died because of it. Doctors called this disease "the consequence of slow bombing." It is a special kind of hypertension - "high blood pressure from continuous nervous tension - the result of continuous shelling and bombing. A person may outwardly almost completely not react to shelling and bombing, he may be able to control himself perfectly, but his nerves live independently of his spirit. And what's more: the better a person "controls himself", the more intensely and calmly he works, the greater the chances of his nerves and blood vessels becoming unusable."
Perhaps the family was also supported by the belief that “our people” would return alive from the front and from evacuation, and after the German ring was broken. The family’s “defense” was largely undermined by the news that Maria’s younger brother, Nikolai, who went to the front in 1942 at the age of 18 and served as a signalman, went missing the following year. But they still believed that he would be found and send a message… The fate of the great-uncle is still unknown; only a few letters from the front remain from him.
But the dream of family reunification has largely come true.
My grandmother's twin sister, Elena, completed nursing courses at the beginning of the war and went to the front. She went through the entire Great Patriotic War, the Soviet-Japanese War, saved the lives of hundreds of wounded soldiers, for which she received many awards. In 1946, she returned to Leningrad. She lived to see the 30th anniversary of the lifting of the siege and the 30th anniversary of the Victory. But soon she died suddenly - heart...
Our family chronicle does not claim to be unique: every family in St. Petersburg can share their own story about the Leningrad blockade. The testimony that was heard at the Nuremberg Tribunal: 632,253 blockade survivors who died, 97% of whom were killed by hunger and died of disease - this testimony will never become "just statistics" for us.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Pavel Kiselev
[REGNUM] "In January 1945, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp, revealing to humanity the truth about the crimes of the Nazis and their accomplices, who exterminated millions of Jews, Russians, Gypsies, and representatives of other peoples. And we will always remember that it was the Soviet soldier who crushed this terrible, total evil, and won a Victory, the greatness of which will forever remain in world history."
With these words, President Vladimir Putin addressed the participants and guests of the memorial ceremony on January 27, dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by the Red Army. Better known by its Polish name, Oswiecim.
On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense released documents from its archives— testimonies of prisoners and reports from Red Army soldiers—including those who opened the gates with the inscription Arbeit Macht Frei (“Work sets you free”).
"Each camp (of the five concentration and death camps in the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex) is a huge area surrounded by a fence of several rows of barbed wire, above which run high-voltage electric wires... Endless crowds of people, liberated by the Red Army, are walking from this death camp. Among them are Hungarians, Italians, French, Czechoslovakians, Greeks, Yugoslavs, Romanians, Danes, Belgians. They all look extremely exhausted, gray-haired old men and young men, mothers with infants and teenagers... Many are maimed, bearing traces of torture, traces of fascist atrocities."
These are quotes from one of the first testimonies about the tragedy of Auschwitz - a report by a member of the military council of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Lieutenant General Konstantin Krainyukov, sent to a member of the State Defense Committee, Georgy Malenkov.
Here, in the “folder” of published documents, is a report from the political directorate commission of the same 1st Ukrainian Front, compiled in the heat of the moment in February 1945:
"During the period of mass arrival of trains, the Germans did not have time to send everyone to the gas chambers and burn them in crematoria. In connection with this, periodically, and in 1944 almost continuously, in parallel with the crematorium, the burning of corpses, and often living people, especially children, on huge fires took place. (…) The smoke and glow from the fires were visible for many kilometers."
"During 1944, up to 200 people were burned weekly. The fascists put all the sick people in cars, sent them all to gas chambers, poisoned them, and then burned them in ovens," the officers of the political department of the 60th Army of the 1st Ukrainian wrote down the words of the prisoners.
We are talking about documents stored in army archives. But let us emphasize that after rescuing 8,000 surviving prisoners, the Soviet Union sought to inform the world as soon as possible about what happened from May 1940 to January 1945 on the half a thousand hectares that the Nazis had turned into a “branch of hell.”
We should remember with kind words the author of “The Tale of a Real Man”, war correspondent Boris Polevoy during the Great Patriotic War, who was among the first journalists to visit liberated Auschwitz.
"Thousands of people in strange striped clothes were running towards us from all sides," Polevoy testified. "They stumbled, fell, jumped to their feet and ran again, gasping for breath, waving their arms, laughing and crying at the same time. And from them, these martyrs of Auschwitz, saved from death by the Red Army, we learned what kind of smoke was spreading over the camp, enveloping the area and filling the chest with a heavy stench."
This is how a Soviet journalist told the world about crematorium ovens disguised as “lice killers” and “showers”.
Polevoy’s reports from 1945 and his article “Smoke of Auschwitz”, prepared by the Soviet Information Bureau for the Nuremberg Trials, were translated into European languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak, French, English.
But the strange thing is that in the West, in Britain and the USA, the Soviet side's reports (including Polevoy's report) were considered "exaggerations" of Soviet propaganda. Prime Minister Winston Churchill called them "fabrications, of which there are many during the war." He did not believe that mass murders and monstrous experiments on people were carried out in the German death camps.
“Only when the Allied forces liberated Buchenwald and other death camps did they understand that everything the Soviet press wrote about Auschwitz was not propaganda, but real atrocities that Nazi executioners committed against people,” Nikolai Parkhitko, a candidate of historical sciences and associate professor at RUDN and the Financial University under the Government of Russia, told Regnum.
Nazi "experiments" in the industrial extermination of prisoners will become public knowledge throughout the world when video evidence of German "death factories" is shown at the Nuremberg Trials. However, the main criminals of Auschwitz itself will not be there: Rudolf Höss, the camp commandant, will be caught by the British military police only in the spring of 1946 and transferred to Warsaw, where he will be sentenced to death at a local tribunal. Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for transporting prisoners to death camps and implementing the "final solution to the Jewish question", will be caught by Israeli intelligence only in 1960 in Argentina. And Josef Mengele, the main experimenter and fanatic, will die of a stroke only in 1979 in Brazil, remaining uncaught.
But by the time Eichmann and other Nazis who had long evaded justice were exposed, the Red Army's feat would already be glossed over - after all, this was what the logic of the Cold War demanded. The German and American essayist Hannah Arendt, who reported on Eichmann's trial in Israel, never once mentioned that it was the Soviet troops who saved thousands of her compatriots from death.
And the West does not deviate from this general line - to "forget" about the liberators of Auschwitz, not to mention those who made the main contribution to stopping the Holocaust machine - from this line even now. Of course, one can write off Donald Trump's recent phrase that the Soviet Union supposedly "helped" the United States defeat Nazism as the US president's ignorance of history.
But historical articles for Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which are now published, for example, by British media, try to do without mentioning the Red Army. At most, the emphasis is on the 1st Ukrainian Front, although everyone understands perfectly well that the word "Ukraine" today is not associated with either the USSR or Soviet soldiers for Western readers.
The “Ukrainian front” in the minds of the average Euro-Atlantic citizen means the “army” of an independent Ukraine that did not exist at that time.
Another direction of revision of history is the understatement of the number of people killed in Auschwitz.
"Modern Western historians, guided by political circumstances, voice the figure of 1.1 million to 1.5 million executed in the camp," emphasizes historian Nikolai Parkhitko. "But I am more inclined to believe the Soviet historian Gennady Danilovich Komkov, who based his conclusions on the data of the camp commandant Rudolf Höss: 3 million physically destroyed and 1 million died for other reasons."
3.5 million is a figure documented by Soviet experts, which is hushed up in Europe. Until 1946, Soviet historians were free to work in the so-called "accounting office" of Auschwitz, where there was a huge volume of documentation. One must also keep in mind the number of unaccounted deaths.
“But after Churchill’s ‘Fulton speech’, access to documents became the object of political confrontation between the USSR and Western countries,” notes Parkhitko.
It is possible that we are talking not about 3.5 million, but 4 million killed and those who died from "natural causes," our interlocutor believes. Parkhitko explains: "A large number of mentally ill people and gypsies were brought to Auschwitz - eight out of ten of them were without documents." These categories of prisoners, according to a number of authors, may account for approximately 500 thousand victims.
The reason for the West's desire to understate the number of dead (including the dead citizens of Western countries) is quite understandable and has long been known - complicity in crimes casts a shadow on some reputable companies.
For example, in the Auschwitz III block of camps, where the large German industrial concern IG Farben, still in operation today, produced extremely dangerous synthetic rubber, they herded everyone who could physically work. First and foremost, these were Soviet captured soldiers, but not only. People died not from crematoria or gas chambers, but from physical exhaustion, as well as industrial waste that killed their health.
Let us also recall that the same IG Farben was a co-owner of Degesch, the company that produced Zyklon B gas, which was first used in the camp on September 3, 1941. On that day, an experiment was conducted in which 600 Soviet prisoners and 250 Polish patriots were poisoned with Zyklon B in a gas chamber. This terrible torture lasted three hours - that's how long the prisoners slowly died from suffocation with the toxic drug. The camp commandants were not satisfied with the result, because the process took so long, and a large order for the product was made - the camp management considered that much more gas was needed.
There is no point in denying this fact, which was recorded at the post-war trials of Nazi criminals. Although almost immediately after the war, attempts began to remove at least some of the responsibility from Germany for the greatest crime of the 20th century. Thus, the first president of the FRG, Theodor Heuss, advocated individual, not collective, responsibility of Germans for the extermination of Jews. Now the guilt of the Third Reich and its accomplices for the catastrophe of the Jewish people is a generally accepted consensus.
Modern leaders of the countries that are the successors of the Hitler coalition, fortunately, are obliged to recognize objective facts and evidence, and cannot manipulate them. Another matter is the role of the peoples of the Soviet Union in the victory over Hitlerism, which can be “forgotten”.
Right now, events are taking place in which meetings of former prisoners with former guards are organized. Representatives from Israel, the United States, Germany and other European countries have been invited. Russia has not been invited, and that is all that needs to be known about their attitude to historical memory, notes Nikolai Parkhitko.
"About five years ago, I felt sorry for European historians who distort facts for political reasons," the interlocutor noted. But, he added, after the start of the SVO, when the revision of history became even more open and brazen, there was nothing left but shame for my colleagues.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The declassified archival interrogation protocols of the Pole Jozef Pechka, who worked as a guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp, were published by the Public Relations Center (PRC) of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.
The man served in the Polish army and was captured by the Nazis in 1939 during the conquest of Poland. He was released two months after his captivity. Pechka also received German citizenship.
For evading military service, he was sent to Auschwitz, where he later became a guard. In 1943, he served his sentence and was released. The Soviet military counterintelligence agency SMERSH, who were collecting evidence of crimes in Auschwitz, arrested a group of people who collaborated with the concentration camp administration.
Among these people was Pechka. During interrogation, he admitted that he had the opportunity to escape from the concentration camp, but he took advantage of the situation because he liked the status of a guard.
Pechka also said that he regularly beat concentration camp prisoners with a stick. In addition, according to the arrested man, every night his group sent from 100 to 500 prisoners' bodies to cremation.
“The SS men, non-commissioned officers, capos (overseers) and block leaders committed brutal abuse against prisoners in the camp, exhausted them with backbreaking work, beat them and killed them, thereby taking an active part in the destruction of innocent people,” Pechka said during interrogation.
According to the FSB Public Relations Center, during the investigation the man was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After the diagnosis, Pechka was sent to a psychiatric hospital. In 1955, he was handed over to the authorities of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 27, the Russian Defense Ministry published archival documents with testimonies from Red Army soldiers and Auschwitz prisoners about numerous instances of mass murder committed by the Nazis in the concentration camp. In addition, the Nazis actively experimented on prisoners. According to the memoirs of prisoner Gina Goldstein, the fascists experimented a lot on women.
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the Red Army liberated Auschwitz, revealing to humanity the truth about the crimes of the Nazis and their accomplices. He added that the Russian Federation will not forget that it was the Soviet soldier who crushed Nazism and won the Victory.
The Red Army liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. In 1947, a memorial complex was founded on the site of the concentration camp.
The decision of the Polish authorities to refuse Russia an invitation to events in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was called a disgrace by the former candidate for the presidency of Germany, professor of economics at the University of Applied Sciences Max Otte. The politician wrote about this on January 26 on the social network X.
"Russia is not invited to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This is a real shame," Otte said.
The politician recalled that Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army, and it was Russia that bore the brunt of World War II.
Events to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp will be held in Oswiecim on January 27. Several dozen state delegations will attend. It is specified that representatives from Moscow have not been invited there.
On January 27, 1945, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. At the time of liberation, there were just over 7,000 prisoners left in the camp, including several hundred children. Historians estimate that the Nazis killed between 1.4 and 1.8 million people in the death camp, most of whom were Jews. In 1947, a memorial complex was founded on the site of the concentration camp.
Earlier, Regnum News Agency reported that Russian diplomats would not take part in the event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in the Polish town of Oswiecim. Russian Ambassador to Warsaw Sergei Andreyev noted that diplomats would celebrate the day in their circle.
The refusal to invite the Moscow delegation outraged Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He called the decision "perversion" and added that the creators of the concentration camp would most likely be invited.
On December 19, during a direct line, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia does not seek to participate in any commemorative events in the West on the occasion of the anniversaries of World War II. It is enough that the country does not forget the feat of Soviet soldiers who saved Europe and the world and stopped the Holocaust.
[Breitbart] Nine people were shot, one of them fatally, outside a nightclub on Polk Street in Amarillo, Texas, early Sunday morning.
KVII reported the shooting occurred around 2 a.m.
FOX 4 KDFW noted that police received “numerous 911 calls” regarding the shooting, which “possibly stems from an earlier altercation inside the bar.”
The alleged shooter is identified as 23-year-old Robert Kenney Knox, who allegedly left the bar earlier in the night then returned in a vehicle from which he exited and opened fire. He then got back into the vehicle and the driver sped away. A witness followed the vehicle and called police to provide them with details on the vehicle’s location.
Police located the vehicle, and arrested Knox and the driver, 21-year-old Nahryah Hilesta Ines Hayes. A third occupant of the vehicle, 22-year-old Britt Brinson Cave was arrested as well. Knox and Hayes were each charged with one count of murder and “eight counts of deadly conduct/discharge of a firearm.” Cave was charged with public intoxication
#3
Or the Perry Mason comic outro on MeTV (if that still exists)? Set a standing alarm for 2330-ish during one of their runs through the whole series just in case I happened to be near a screen. So corny but so damned endearing.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] US President Donald Trump's desire to negotiate a settlement in Ukraine directly with the parties to the conflict has become a "cold shower" for the heads of the European Union. This is reported by Politico.
“The new Trump administration is simply not interested in interacting with EU representatives,” the article notes.
The publication clarifies that Trump did not invite any high-ranking heads of European Union bodies to the inauguration ceremony except for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and US Secretary of State Marc Rubio ignored a letter from EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas inviting the EU foreign ministers to a meeting.
"Rubio spoke to more than a dozen foreign ministers, but not a single EU official," the article said.
It is also noted that such a shift in the Trump team's relations with the EU was a radical departure from the friendly relations that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU figures had with the administration of former US President Joe Biden.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 13, the European portal Euractiv reported that EU leaders fear that the negotiations on Ukraine will take place without their participation. High-ranking diplomats reported that the European Union is seeking to ensure its participation in the negotiations on Ukraine, but there is a possibility that at this meeting, European leaders will only be given "places on side chairs." At the same time, there is also a scenario in which Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump hold bilateral negotiations, leaving the Europeans "overboard."
On January 22, Trump instructed Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg to end the Ukrainian conflict within 100 days.
On January 22, Trump instructed Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg to end the Ukrainian conflict within 100 days. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the Republican intends to personally oversee the negotiation process on Ukraine. Later, on January 23, Trump added that his team's efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict are "already underway."
On January 20, Putin also noted that Russia is ready for negotiations, but the goal of the dialogue should be long-term peace, not a short truce. He added that one of the conditions for the negotiations should be Kiev's statement about abandoning its plans to join NATO. In addition, Ukraine will have to recognize territorial realities and withdraw troops from the territory of the regions that returned to the Russian Federation in 2022.
Regarding the published "Trump plan" that is allegedly being considered by the Trump administration and denied in Ukraine.
1. Ban on Ukraine's admission to NATO and declaration of its neutrality.
2. Ukraine's accession to the EU by 2030, post-war reconstruction of the country falls on Europe's shoulders.
3. Ukraine does not reduce its army, the US continues post-war modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
4. Russia's sovereignty over the occupied territories is not officially recognized, but Ukraine refuses any attempts to return them.
5. Part of the sanctions against Russia are lifted immediately after the signing of peace and another part within three years, depending on Russia's compliance with the parameters of the agreement.
6. Export of Russian energy resources to Europe is resumed, but is subject to a duty, which will be used to restore Ukraine.
7. Autumn elections in Ukraine must be held with the participation of parties "advocating for the defense of the Russian language and peaceful coexistence with Russia." Persecution of the Russian language and the church is stopped.
8. The introduction of a European peacekeeping contingent into Ukrainian territory after the end of the conflict is left to the discretion of the parties.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has declassified the Northwoods plan, which contains information about organizing terrorist attacks against Americans to justify the war against Cuba in the early 1960s. This was written about by the American publication Daily Mail.
"A 12-page report signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962 details a secret plan to carry out terrorist attacks against American citizens to justify war with Cuba in the 1960s," the publication states.
The Northwoods plan would have accused Cuba of carrying out terrorist attacks against the American people, followed by a war to overthrow the communist regime of Fidel Castro. The document described terrorist attacks against civilians in Florida or the bombing of an American warship at Guantanamo Bay.
"The plan included everything from spreading rumors to landing friendly Cubans in military uniforms, holding protests at military bases, and detonating ordnance inside facilities. The list also included a device to set planes on fire at an air base and sink a ship at the entrance to an unspecified base's harbor, then holding funerals for the supposed victims," the article also noted.
The publication specifies that then US President John Kennedy refused to carry out such an operation and was soon liquidated. And now, when the current US President Donald Trump demanded that the CIA data on Kennedy's assassination be declassified, new details of his mysterious murder have emerged.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 26, the CIA also stated that the most likely cause of the COVID-19 pandemic was a leak in a research laboratory in Wuhan, China. At the same time, one of the reasons for the lack of a confirmed and clear position on the issue of origin could be possible retaliatory steps from China, which the United States does not want to face.
[JustTheNews] Congresswoman and watchdog group reveal $20 billion spent annually on abusive animal research.
The federal government is spending $20 billion annual in taxpayer dollars for abusive animal research, and most Americans are unaware, says New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
Malliotakis recently made the claim on the Just the News, No Noise television show on which she also said federal funds go toward inhumane experiments on animals in such countries as China and Russia.
"I don't think most Americans know that their tax dollars are being used in this way to literally abuse animals with cruel, inhumane and unnecessary experiments that are not doing anything to improve public health," she said.
"And it's it's actually crazy to learn that we have hundreds of thousands of animals that are locked up in cages that are in federal labs, or labs that we, the U.S. taxpayer, are funding cats, dogs, monkeys, rabbits, other animals, and that there these unnecessary tests are taking place all around the country, and we're even funding experiments taking place overseas and in countries that dislike us."
The congresswoman also pointed out that funding for animal research in other countries includes so-called "gain of function" experiments like those conducted in Wuhan, China – which by general definition is research to try to learn more about how a virus might mutate and spread. However, such experiments are also risky because a lab mistake could spawn a more lethal virus.
"We also saw that there was animal testing taking place in the Wuhan lab, and we were funding these experiments, and it's still taking place in other countries that have sub par safety conditions, so that not only is, you know, not necessarily cruel experiment on the animal, but it could potentially cause the next pandemic," Malliotakis said.
She was referring to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, from which some people and groups, including the CIA, think COVID-19 was leaked.
Researchers from the lab were collaborating with ones from New York-based EcoHealth Alliance on bat-virus research, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health at or near the time COVID was first detected, in Wuhan, according to Science magazine.
EcoHealth has denied such allegations including that the virus came from and was leaked from the lab.
"EcoHealth Alliance strongly refutes these allegations," the group said in June 2024. "We have provided dozens of statements to the press to show that they are patently false, but in a difficult political landscape, these false narratives find fertile ground."
Malliotakis also spoke about working with government watchdog group White Coat Waste Project to expose inhumane experiments funded by the NIH that involved locking the heads of beagles in mesh cages filled with sand flies and allowing them to be eaten alive.
The NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has admitted to funding some research using beagles, but it denied that it funded one project in Tunisia that went viral on social media because it involved sedated beagles whose heads were stuck in mesh cages filled with diseased sand flies, according to factcheck.org.
White Coat has proposed a 100-day plan for the Trump administration to end the federal funding of animal abuse and save $20 billion in taxpayer's money.
Malliotakis is the sponsor of the HELP PETS Act that seeks to remove federal funding from universities and colleges that conduct inhumane animal experiments. She recently re-introduced the bill amid Republicans eager to cut excessive government spending and controlling the White and Congress, after the Biden administration.
She also is a cosponsor of Goldie's Act, a proposed law that would require the USDA to notify state and local law enforcement of cases of abused animals.
#1
"I don't think most Americans know that their tax dollars are being used in this way to literally abuse animals with cruel, inhumane and unnecessary experiments that are not doing anything to improve public health,"
Malliotakis attended New Dorp High School on Staten Island, and during her senior year was elected class president.[5] She received a B.A. in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Wagner College.[6]
#2
Animal testing has to be done to assess drug toxicity and dose response. But some animal models just don’t work for testing potential efficacy. We’re using human cells for that purpose as well as dose response. Still have to use non human primates for toxicity and dose coverage. (We’re developing a gene replacement therapy for a genetic form of Parkinson’s that affects young people)
[IsraelTimes] Security forces say one of the dead, Ihab Abu Atiwi, was the local leader of the terror group; PA says three others wounded in strike
The Israel Defense Forces carried out a dronezap on Monday in the West Bank city Tulkarem, killing two Paleostinians that Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... identified as members of its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigades.
According to the Paleostinian Authority health ministry, the strike also maimed three people.
In a statement released Monday evening, the IDF and Shin Bet said that the strike "eliminated the head of the Hamas terrorist organization in Tulkarem."
The statement said, "In a joint operation earlier today, an IAF aircraft struck in the Tulkarem area, within the Ephraim Brigade, and eliminated Ihab Abu Atiwi, who served as the head of Hamas’s terrorist organization in Tulkarm. Another terrorist was also killed in the strike."
The military said that "Abu Atiwi was involved in numerous shooting attacks, including one targeting an Israeli vehicle at the Ramin Junction on July 16, 2024, in which three Israeli civilians were maimed."
In a statement, Hamas named the second slain member as Ramez Damiri, and said that their blood was not spilled "in vain" and their deaths would encourage "the escalation of the resistance and the continuation of its heroic operations."
The IDF said the strike was part of the ongoing counterterror operations in the West Bank, which began earlier this month, centering on the northern city of Jenin.
A senior IDF officer in the West Bank division told news hounds on Thursday that the operation, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, was launched to neutralize the so-called Jenin Battalion, made up of operatives affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... Operation Iron Wall is the third major IDF incursion in less than two years in Jenin, a longtime stronghold of terror groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which said its forces were fighting Israeli troops.
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] President Trump's border czar Tom Homan demanded an apology from Illinois governor JB Pritzker and reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown ...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel... Public School CEO Pedro Martinez, after they made false claims that ICE agents showed up at a school to detain undocumented Democrat children.
After Martinez made the false claim about the ICE agents, Governor Pritzker posted to X: ''After a week of Republicans sowing fear and chaos, the first reports of raids in Chicago are at an elementary school. Targeting children and separating families is cruel and un-American.''
The claimed ICE agents, however, were members of US Secret Service who were there to investigate an unrelated matter involving threats made on TikTok. ICE agents were never at the school.
In response, Homan demanded an apology from Pritzker and said that Martinez lied about the incident: ''Pedro Martinez lied. He lied to the city of Chicago. He knew they were secret service agents, because I talked to people involved. They left their credentials. He knew exactly who was there. So he lied. Again, sowing fear in the immigrant community.
''Governor Pritzker, rather than calling ICE and asking 'did this happen,' he goes on social media and terrifies elementary schools [saying] ICE agents are walking in there. He accuses me of terrifying the community—no, he terrified the community, he terrified the children,'' Homan continued.
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#6
Even if he doesn’t get an apology, illeagle, the mainstream media have reported, with frissons of shock at the undignified lack of diplomacy, that he demanded it for the lie.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Officials have begun a large-scale nuclear incident exercise in New York amid fears of WWIII.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the exercise includes military aircraft, personnel who will carry out scenario threats to be ready 'to respond in the event of a nuclear incident in the United States or overseas.'
The drills began Sunday, but the agency said the public may now see personnel practising out in the opening. The exercise ends on January 31.
'The training exercise will not pose risks to area residents. Please do not be alarmed by the activity,' the FBI shared in a statement.
The agency emphasized that such training exercises have been conducted twice a year across the nation since 2012.
The agency emphasized that such training exercises have been conducted twice a year across the nation since 2012.
The exercise is meant to simulate a radiological attack, enabling response personnel to practice protecting public health and safety, providing emergency relief to affected populations, and restoring essential services.
While the FBI emphasized that the exercise poses no threat to the public. It comes a month after Vladimir Putin warned that WWIII could erupt if the West continues 'escalating the situation' in his latest existential threat over the war in Ukraine.
Putin also accused the West of pushing Russia to its 'red lines' and threatened to lift all voluntary restrictions on the deployment of his short and medium-range missiles if the US went ahead and deployed similar weapons.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian diplomat, said at the time the 'red line' was intended as a 'very clear message': 'Don't make a mistake - all these kind of things may mean nuclear war.'
However, FBI Albany Public Affairs Officer Sarah Ruane said: 'I believe planning for this one began back in the spring.'
She added that these drills are not due to any recent or ongoing world events.
The exercise will primarily occur at and around the Stratton Air National Guard Base, Albany International Airport, and portions of northern Saratoga County.
'This is an exercise of the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collection Task Force, which would support the investigation of a nuclear incident,' said Ruane.
'The Task Force mission is to collect nuclear debris samples for analysis at the national laboratories.'
While details about the exercises are unknown, previous events saw simulated scenarios to which personnel had to respond.
In March 2024, the New Jersey, Delaware and Idaho National Guard participated in interagency chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives training with the FBI and state and local law enforcement.
In one training scenario, the FBI received intelligence that a domestic terrorist group had planted bombs — including one with cesium-137, a radioactive isotope — as more than 10,000 people are about to converge on the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton to listen to the vice president.
[BBC] President Donald Trump has said he thinks the US will gain control of Greenland, underlining his persistent claim on the Arctic island, on one occasion pointing to "economic security" as the reason. While the autonomous Danish territory has been quick to say it isn't for sale, its vast and mostly untapped mineral resources are in great demand.
Jagged grey peaks suddenly appear before us, as the motorboat navigates choppy coastal waters and dramatic fjords at Greenland's southern tip.
"Those very high pointy mountains, it's basically a gold belt," gestures Eldur Olafsson, the chief executive of mining company Amaroq Minerals.
After sailing for two hours we stepped ashore at a remote valley beneath Nalunaq mountain, where the firm is drilling for gold.
It's also scouring the surrounding mountain range and valleys, hunting for other valuable minerals, having snapped up exploration licences spanning over 10,000 sq km (3,861 sq miles).
"We're looking for copper, nickel, and rare earths," says the Icelandic boss. "This is uncharted, and still has the potential to have multiple big deposits."
The base camp is a cluster of mobile buildings and bright orange accommodation tents housing more than 100 staff, including Greenlanders, Australians, and British former coal miners. From there a road climbs up the valley, and we drive by car into the gold mine, following a dark tunnel upwards inside the mountain.
"See here!" says Mr Olafsson pointing to a seam of white quartz and a thin dark line. "Gold, gold, gold. All the way over. Isn't that extraordinary?"
The mine, which Amaroq bought in 2015, had operated for most of the preceding decade, but closed due to then falling gold prices, and high operating costs.
Amaroq is confident that the mine will now be profitable. And it plans to ramp up production this year, where it has built a brand new processing plant to crush the ore and refine the precious metal into gold bars.
"We can either walk off site every month with a suitcase of gold, versus a 30,000 tonne ship [carrying the ore]," explains Mr Olafsson.
He says that Greenland presents an unrivalled opportunity because its huge mineral reserves are largely untouched.
"It can be the supplier of all the minerals the Western world will need for decades," adds Mr Olafsson. "And that is a very unique position."
[IsraelTimes] Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem slams extension of IDF pullout deadline, says ‘resistance’ not bound by it, as Lebanese Christian politician blames ‘pointless’ deaths on terror group
It sounds like Hezbollah considers the hudna to be over.
Israeli gunfire killed two people and maimed 17 others on Monday, local health officials said Monday, as residents displaced by the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah attempted to return to villages where the Israel Defense Forces has stayed put.
The deadly protests came a day after 24 people were killed and more than 130 maimed in demonstrations over the continued IDF presence.
The military has blamed Hezbollah "provocations" in the protests, where returning residents have hoisted the Iran-backed terror group’s insignia. On Monday, a leading Christian Lebanese politician blasted Hezbollah for urging the residents to return and pushing them toward "certain death."
Under a US-brokered ceasefire on November 27, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... within sixty days, and Hezbollah was to recede north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Israeli border. The United States and Lebanon announced Sunday that Israel’s deadline to withdraw was extended to February 18.
While the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers took up posts in several villages before the original deadline on Sunday, the IDF remained in over a dozen others towns where it says Lebanon’s troops have failed to deploy.
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday that Israel would "firmly enforce" the ceasefires in both Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... and Lebanon, warning that "anyone who breaks the rules or threatens IDF troops will bear the full price."
Meanwhile,
...back at the abandoned silver mine, there was another explosion... in a pre-recorded speech, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... slammed the extension of the IDF’s withdrawal deadline, and accused Israel of violating the ceasefire 1,350 times.
"Israel has to withdraw because the 60 days are over," said Qassem. "We won’t accept any excuses to extend one second or one day."
"Any delay in the withdrawal is the responsibility of the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... , the US, La Belle France and Israel," he added, naming Lebanon’s four partners in the ceasefire deal.
The "resistance" has the right to act in what it deems appropriate in response to the "occupation," said Qassem, adding that Hezbollah considered retaliating against Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s but was advised not to by Lebanese authorities.
’WE ARE STAYING’
The protests that resumed for the second day in south Lebanon were particularly focused in eastern border villages, as displaced residents, accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces, again tried returning to their villages, local media and AFP correspondents reported Monday.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israel opened fire, killing two people and wounding fourteen. It added that the maimed included a child and a rescuer from the Risala Scouts association, affiliated with the Amal movement, Hezbollah’s ally.
Nonetheless, an AFP correspondent reported seeing dozens of vehicles carrying families headed toward border towns, a day after hundreds of residents tried unsuccessfully to return to their homes.
In the city of Bint Jbeil, an access point for many border villages, supporters of Hezbollah were distributing sweets, water and images of slain terror chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> , who was killed in an Israeli strike in September. Others handed out stickers celebrating the "victory from God" as women held pictures of slain Hezbollah fighters.
In the village of Aitaroun, scores of residents, some waving Hezbollah flags, marched hand-in-hand or rode cycle of violences, escorted by ambulances, bulldozers and Lebanese army tanks. They approached the edge of the town but stopped short of Israeli positions, unable to enter.
Saleem Mrad, the head of the municipality, said "we are coming with our heads held high and crowned with victory to our village, Aitaroun."
"Our village is ours, and we will bring it back more beautiful than it was before, he said." We are staying."
Hassan al-Ahmad, a resident, said, "We have to give our blood and our souls. If there had not been blood spilled, the land would not have been liberated."
Lebanon’s national news agency reported that Israel dropped a bomb at the entrance of the southern village of Yaroun to deter residents from proceeding farther. The IDF has not commented on the report.
After Sunday’s violence, an Israeli military official told news hounds that hundreds of Lebanese, among them Hezbollah operatives and supporters carrying Hezbollah flags and images of Nasrallah, carried out "provocations" while trying to reach villages in southern Lebanon.
The official said the military had prepared for civilians attempting to reach the border villages at the end of the 60-day truce, despite its warnings.
IRAN-LED AXIS ’DOES NOT VALUE PEOPLE’S LIVES’
Responding to Sunday’s deadly demonstrations, Samir Geagea ....Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005.... , leader of the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... Party — a Christian faction opposed to Hezbollah — accused the terror group and Lebanese government of risking the displaced residents’ lives, saying: "The current government proves it does not exist, and the Axis of Resistance® proves that it does not value people’s lives."
Hezbollah plays a lead role in Iran’s "Axis of Resistance®" network of regional proxies committed to Israel’s destruction. Lebanese critics of Hezbollah accuse it of furthering Iran’s interests at the expense of Lebanon’s.
In an interview published Monday in Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan, Geagea said the axis "does not hesitate to fabricate new events on a daily basis that it uses to cover up the tragedies and loss of life and property it has caused."
Geagea said the Lebanese government should have informed residents about details of Israel’s deployment "rather than allowing some parties to exploit the scenes for self-interest, causing the death of citizens."
"Protecting people’s lives is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, not Israel’s," the party leader said, calling on the Lebanese military "to organize the entry of citizens into safe villages, and prevent them from reaching areas that the Israeli army still occupies."
Hezbollah "exploited this vacuum and pushed citizens into imminent danger, not caring who would be killed or injured," Geagea added. "It knows that throwing over 20 citizens into certain death is pointless and will not yield any results, and will not make Israel change its position."
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came after 14 months of fighting, which began when the terror group, unprovoked, began attacking Israel on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023 — a day after the Gaza war was sparked when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... stormed Israel by the thousands, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 46 civilians. In addition, 80 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes, attacks on Israel, and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
The IDF estimates that some 3,500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
[JustTheNews] Former lead agent in case confirms frustration among investigators, lack of pursuit of some terrorists.
The FBI approved a book manuscript in 2023 from its lead investigator in the Benghazi terror attack probe that confirms frontline agents and prosecutors believed politics kept the Justice Department from approving operations to capture several conspirators, supporting a key part of FBI Director-nominee Kash Patel’s account of events that was recently challenged by The New York Times.
In his yet to be published book, retired FBI Special Agent Michael Clarke chronicles the frustrations he and other law enforcement officials experienced at the end of President Barack Obama’s administration when their Joint Terrorism Task Force had identified several conspirators in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the State Department special mission compound in Benghazi but could not get a memo signed that would have sent the Pentagon in action to round up the alleged suspects.
Specifically, Clarke raised concerns that in 2016 then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe – whose wife had recently run for political office as a Democrat and received large donations from a Hillary Clinton ally – would not approve an “executive memo” clearing the way for the Pentagon to plan the capture of key suspects in the attack on the Benghazi consulate.
The deadly terror attack proved to be a black eye for Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State.
ONLY ONE DEFENDANT
The lead agents and prosecutors “could accept a reality where the White House may elect to postpone an operation based on political considerations - this was always their prerogative, however distasteful,” Clarke wrote. “What none of us ever fathomed was that a small number of FBI higher ups would consider politics in making an operational decision.”
Clarke, who led the FBI’s investigation of Benghazi from the start until his retirement in 2020 and received top DOJ and FBI awards for his work in the probe, declined comment when contacted by Just the News, referring reporters to the FBI-approved approved language in his manuscript.
McCabe did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent Tuesday to his email address at George Mason University, where he is a distinguished visiting professor. The FBI declined to comment.
But in 2017 testimony to Congress, McCabe acknowledged the FBI had managed to bring only one defendant, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, to justice, blaming it on the complexity of the investigation.
"So Mr. Khatallah was one of the few people that we have been able to hold responsible for the attack on our special mission facility in Benghazi, Libya," he testified. "I oversaw the development of that operation and the very significant and complicated partnership relationships that enabled us to bring Mr. Khatallah to Justice."
"Was that a difficult case?" he was asked.
"Yes, sir, it was," McCabe answered.
But other government officials told Just the News that Clarke’s team in concert with other U.S. agencies and foreign allies had identified dozens of suspects and potential defendants but only two ultimately went to trial. The current and former officials said Patel, then the coordinating lawyer in main DOJ’s counterterrorism office, supported frontline agents but that others blocked the team from succeeding as Clarke alleged in his manuscript and Patel claimed in the 2024 book titled "Government Gangsters" was accurate.
“By the time the D.O.J. was moving in full force to compile evidence and bring prosecutions against the Benghazi terrorists, I was leading the prosecution’s efforts at Main Justice in Washington, D.C.,” Patel wrote in the book.
After experiencing lengthy foot-dragging from the leadership, Clarke’s team spent years working with DOD and other agencies to find other solutions for the unpunished suspects, often drone strikes, to ensure some form of justice and ensure Benghazi participants posed no further threat to the Western world, current and former officials told Just the News, stressing the investigation still continues today.
The delays were also criticized by Patel in his book and in media appearances following his service in the first Trump administration.
“Despite the fact that we had reams of evidence against dozens of terrorists in the Benghazi attack, Eric Holder’s Justice Department decided to only prosecute one of the attackers,” Patel wrote in his book, "Government Gangsters".
MOTIVATED BY POLITICS
He also said bureau and department leadership were motivated by politics in their decision to delay pursuing other Benghazi attack suspects in 2016.
“I remember this meeting with then-A.G. Holder. And we had a deck of like 19 guys we wanted to prosecute. You know, JSOC had them rolled up and we wanted to get them all. They killed four Americans. You know, it’s a legit terrorist attack. And the basic general response from the F.B.I. and D.O.J. leadership was ‘it’s only politically convenient to get one guy,’” Patel said on The Shawn Ryan Show in September.
In December, the New York Times challenged Patel’s account of events basing its reporting on several anonymous sources. According to those anonymous sources, Patel’s statements inflated his role and was, in reality, only in a supporting role to the overall investigation. However, in the book and interview excerpts cited by the Times, Patel never claimed that he led the overall, interagency investigation into the Benghazi attacks.
The Times also challenged Patel’s contention that the government had “rolled up” 19 suspects in the Benghazi attack, citing the government’s failure to capture a vast majority of the suspects.
But Patel’s account about frustrating efforts to take into custody and prosecute the several suspected attackers is supported by Clarke’s manuscript, which chronicled how senior FBI leadership delayed the Pentagon to begin its planning to locate and capture the remaining individuals.
The Times did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.
According to Clarke, in March of 2016 both the Department of Defense and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. were supportive of the plan. The Pentagon began to draw up plans to apprehend the suspects immediately and identified a small window of opportunity that would allow U.S. forces to apprehend the suspects in war-torn Libya.
Clarke wrote, because of the risk of employing U.S. forces in the war zone, the Pentagon wanted a reassurance from the FBI and DOJ that the suspects would be prosecuted in the form of an “executive memo.”
The memo, according to Clarke, was delayed by McCabe at the senior level. After repeatedly asking for updates and an explanation, the then-Special Agent in Charge of the New York counterterrorism division indicated that the memo was being held up for political reasons.
Clarke wrote that his FBI boss “pulled me aside and with a disgusted look on his face said, ‘nothing is going to happen until after the election in November.’”
“The Benghazi Team should focus strictly on the upcoming trial of Khatallah and stop looking at capture options. ‘It was politics,’” Clarke wrote.
He also stated a top federal prosecutor also confirmed to him that McCabe was part of the holdup.
The criminal division chief at the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. “advised me the log jam regarding the issuing of an executive session memo remained between the Deputy Assistant Attorney General at DOJ National Security Division and with FBI Deputy Director,” Clarke wrote.
In his manuscript, Clarke raised concerns about the former FBI deputy director’s political ties. Multiple news reports confirmed McCabe’s wife had received financial assistance in 2015 from then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton ally, to run for state Senate. Just the News reported that internal FBI documents showed the financial and political ties between McAuliffe and the McCabe family raised red flags.
Clarke wrote he shared in those concerns, especially as it related to Benghazi.
“In late October 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton confidant, helped steer hundreds of thousands of dollars to the election campaign of the wife of Deputy Director Andy McCabe who was heading the probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email system,” he wrote. “The political action committee of McAuliffe, a Clinton loyalist, gave the contribution to the state Senate campaign of Jill McCabe, the wife of the Deputy Director. The report stated Jill McCabe received an additional two-hundred-thousand-plus from the Virginia Democratic Party, which is heavily influenced by McAuliffe.
“When the article broke in the Wall Street Journal, the obvious questions immediately surfaced. From the beginning of the case in 2012, Andy McCabe had an influential role to the Benghazi investigation while serving at a variety of positions at FBIHQ,” he added.
McCabe has acknowledged the donations his wife received but insisted they did not affect his work decisions.
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] In Kharkov direction, the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Velikiye Prokhody and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU lost up to 15 troops, three field artillery guns, and one ammunition depot.
The Zapad Group of Forces has improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and one territorial defence brigade close to Redkodub, Kutkovka, Kupyansk, Zagoruykovka, Glushkovka, Boguslavka, Zeleny Gai, Kopanki (Kharkov region), Kolodezi, and Yampol (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses amounted to up to 355 troops, seven pick-up trucks, and five field artillery guns. Three ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on formations of two mechanised brigades, one assault brigade, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Seversk, Vasyukovka, Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Dachnoye, and Ulakly (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU sustained losses of up to 250 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and two field artillery guns. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of enemy defences. Russian troops delivered strikes on manpower and hardware of five mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one jaeger brigade of the AFU, two National Guard brigades, and one brigade of the National Police of Ukraine close to Dzerzhinsk, Baranovka, Shevchenko, Slavyanka, Yasenovoye, Novoyelizavetovka, and Andreyevka (Donetsk People's Republic)
The enemy lost up to 610 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns.
As a result of decisive actions of the Vostok Group of Forces units, Velikaya Novoselka (Donetsk People's Republic) was liberated.
Strikes were delivered on formations of one tank brigade, one mechanised brigade of the AFU, and one National Guard brigade close to Bogatyr and Vremevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 160 troops, a tank, four motor vehicles, and four artillery guns including a Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system.
The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two coastal defence brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Pridneprovskoye and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU lost up to 35 troops, four motor vehicles, and one ammunition depot.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged the infrastructure of military airfields, drone manufacturing workshops, POL bases, as well as clusters of enemy manpower and hardware in 149 areas.
Air defence systems shot down four U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 64 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 652 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 41,571 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20,858 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,510 MLRS combat vehicles, 20,010 field artillery guns and mortars, and 30,830 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...established in the early 1990s through an agreement between portions of Uganda’s Salaf Tabliq Islamic sect and the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU), who said they had been sidelined by Museveni’s policies. At the time, the rebels staged deadly attacks in Ugandan villages and the capital, including a 1998 attack in which 80 students were massacred. A Ugandan military operation later forced the ADF into eastern Congo. The ADF has since established ties with the Islamic State group. The ADF has received funding from the Government of Sudan, which has also provided supplies and training. The ADF may also have received funding from the illegal mining and logging industries of the DRC....
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
[World Net] An undercover reporter who worked with David Daleiden of the 
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
The decades-low existing-home sales of 4.06 million units came while the median price of homes hit a record high of $407,500 last year, NAR said. In December 2024, the median existing-home price was up 6 percent from a year ago, with all four U.S. regions registering price hikes.
[TAC] FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 17, 2025) — A newly filed Kentucky House bill would expand current state law to prohibit state and local enforcement of any federal gun control measures enacted after December 15, 1791, the day the Second Amendment was ratified, drawing a bold line in defense of the right to keep and bear arms.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...46th president of the U.S. 
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] Notorious never-Trump "journalist" 
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
The Scourge of Hama...
...real name Riduan Isamuddin, close personal friend of Osama bin Laden, one of the founders of Jemaah Islamiyah and the planner of the 2002 Bali bombings. He was captured with the help of a mid-Eastern intel service, shipped to Guantanamo to rot but he'll likely be released eventually because that was a long time ago and we were all so much younger then...
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
[Breitbart] Nine people were shot, one of them fatally, outside a nightclub on Polk Street in Amarillo, Texas, early Sunday morning.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel...
