[Rudaw] The United States Department of the Treasury on Monday imposed new sanctions on over 30 individuals and vessels for their "involvement" in importing Iranian petroleum-related products.
According to the US Treasury, its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US State Department targeted oil brokers and operators in China, India, and the United Arab Emirates "for their role in brokering the sale and transport of Iranian petroleum-related products."
The sanctions also included the head of Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company and the Iranian Oil Terminals Company, both of which "contribute to financing Iran’s destabilizing activities," according to the US Treasury.
In addition, eight vessels have been designated as "blocked property" due to their association with the blacklisted entities.
The new sanctions follow US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s restoring the maximum pressure policy against 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 early February, arguing that Tehran is "too close" to obtaining nuclear weapons. Trump also expressed interest in negotiating a deal with Iran.
For its part, Tehran has repeatedly denied any intentions of developing nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear program is peaceful.
Monday’s sanctions additionally freeze the assets of the designated persons and entities. The US Treasury issued a warning to individuals and businesses that they cannot engage in transactions with the sanctioned entities unless authorized by OFAC.
The US Treasury Department accused the Iranian government of allocating billions of dollars worth of oil each year to gangs to supplement its annual budget allocations.
This round of sanctions marks the second such move since Trump reinstated the maximum pressure policy. Earlier this month, the US targeted individuals and tankers involved in shipping Iranian crude oil to China, which the Treasury Department said was done on behalf of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff. The sanctions also affected entities and individuals in China, India, and the UAE.
[Townhall] The ringleader of an international illegal-alien smuggling conspiracy, a sophisticated network operating along the United States southern border since at least 2018, was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. as the result of a multi-agency investigation.
"Extensive coordination and cooperation" efforts between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities culminated in the extradition of Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 49, according to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) blurb.
Saucedo-Huipio allegedly collected fees, coordinated lodging, and worked with smugglers in Central America to transport thousands of illegal aliens across America's southern border.
His co-conspirator, Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, a 62-year-old Mexican national, was extradited in 2023 and pleaded guilty on December 18, 2024, to conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and three substantive counts of bringing an alien to the U.S. for commercial benefit or private financial gain. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10 and faces a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
According to court documents, they smuggled large numbers of illegal aliens into the United States from and through Bangladesh, Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , Pakistain, Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... , India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
They based their operations in Mexicali on the United States-Mexico border. Saucedo-Huipio and Hernandez-Salas allegedly charged the illegal aliens as much as tens of thousands of dollars (from $10,000 to $70,000) for the smuggling services. They were then directed to illegally cross the southern border into the United States and accordingly given a ladder to climb over the border fence. Saucedo-Huipio and his co-conspirators, while armed with guns and knives, also allegedly robbed them of their money and personal belongings.
Previously, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on this Mexico-based transnational criminal organization headed by Hernandez-Salas, Saucedo-Huipio, and others.
On March 2, 2023, Saucedo-Huipio was arrested in Mexico, pursuant to a U.S. extradition request. Mexico surrendered Saucedo-Huipio to U.S. custody on February 21 to face federal charges filed in Arizona district court.
In a press statement, the DOJ thanked their Mexican law enforcement partners, who were "instrumental in arresting Saucedo-Huipio," as well as the Mexican Attorney General's Office and the Mexican Foreign Ministry "for making the extradition possible."
The indictments against Saucedo-Huipio and Hernandez-Salas were coordinated through Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to strengthen the DOJ's efforts to combat the rise in Central American smuggling operations. JTFA's goal is to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with a focus on networks that endanger, abuse, or exploit illegal; pose national security risks; or engage in other types of transnational organized crime. In June 2024, the initiative expanded to Colombia and Panama to combat human smuggling in the Darién Gap.
To date, JTFA's work has resulted in over 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and controllers of human smuggling; more than 300 U.S. convictions; over 245 jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of assets.
[IsraelTimes] UK opposition leader Kemi Badenoch sends a letter to the BBC demanding to know whether the broadcaster used license fees paid by the British public to make payments to Hamas, the Daily Mail reports.
Her inquiry comes after the BBC on Friday removed a documentary about the Gaza war from its online streaming service, once it emerged that the child who is a central figure in the film is the son of a Hamas deputy minister, a fact that is not disclosed in the movie.
Badenoch’s letter, seen by the Daily Mail, calls for a probe into any “potential collusion with Hamas” and “the possibility of payment to terrorists.”
According to the Daily Mail, the BBC said it could not immediately answer her question and was carrying out “further due diligence” on how the program was made.
“Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone” is narrated by Abdullah Al-Yazouri, a 14-year-old boy. His father is Ayman Al-Yazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in the Strip’s Hamas government.
Badenoch also said anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s reporting of the conflict was not an “isolated incident” and called for rooting out the “systemic and institutional bias against Israel.”
[FreeBeacon] When Paleostinian Authority president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> issued a vaguely worded decree purportedly revoking the PA's infamous "pay for slay" system, the European Commission called it a "significant political development" that "signals the Paleostinian Authority's commitment to implement far-reaching reforms." Since then, Paleostinian officials have assured the Arab world that the terror payments aren't going anywhere.
The man overseeing the allegedly reformed system is Raed Abu al-Humus, the Free Beacon's Andrew Tobin reports from Jerusalem. He spent 10 years in prison alongside Nasser Abu Hamid, the late founder of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Abu al-Humus has praised his jailmate as a "masked lion" and "inspiration" to the "Paleostinian youth." Now, he's leading Abbas's Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
Abu al-Humus replaces Qadura Fares, another convicted terrorist whom Abbas fired in a move that seemingly demonstrated his seriousness about reforming "pay for slay."
"Just hours after his appointment," Tobin reports, the commission "published a photograph of Abu al-Humus smiling alongside two arch-terrorists, Ahmed Barghouti and Mohammed Aradeh, whom Israel recently released to Cairo as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... ." Both were serving life sentences.
"The photo is among a number of early signs that Abbas will once again disappoint international donors who expect him to end 'pay for slay,'" Tobin writes. "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... 's al-Sharq newspaper quoted unnamed senior Paleostinian officials last Wednesday as saying the terrorism payments would continue 'without any reduction.'"
[IsraelTimes] Two Palestinian suspects were detained overnight for allegedly attacking and wounding two Israelis in the central West Bank on Saturday, the military says.
The suspects were arrested in the village of Dayr Dibwan, just outside Ramallah, close to where the incident took place.
According to the army, Palestinians armed with batons, a knife, and stones attacked two Israelis, lightly wounding them. Other reports described the incident as clashes between settlers and Palestinians, saying three Palestinians were also injured and that settlers set fire later to several buildings in a Bedouin village near Jaba, an adjacent town.
The two Palestinian suspects were handed over to the Israel Police and Shin Bet for questioning.
Separately, the IDF says it detained eight wanted Palestinians during overnight raids in Jenin and Qaffin overnight.
[IsraelTimes] Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar instructed diplomats to open channels of communication with far-right political parties in Sweden, France, and Spain, Walla reports, citing senior officials in the Foreign Ministry.
A Foreign Ministry official confirms the report to The Times of Israel.
The French National Rally, Sweden Democrats, and Spanish Vox factions had been shunned by the Foreign Ministry, President’s Residence, and Prime Minister’s Office over concerns over antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and fascist roots. Rogue Israeli ministers and legislators have also met with party official recently, without approval from the government.
“We do not agree with the entire platform of these parties or with every statement made by their leaders, but we believe that it is possible to have a dialogue with them,” one of the senior diplomats tells Walla.
Staff work began under Sa’ar’s predecessor Israel Katz, according to the report. Upon his appointment as foreign minister, Sa’ar assessed the parties based on their support for Israel, attitude toward the local Jewish community, the communities’ feelings toward the parties, and whether they had confronted their antisemitic legacies.
Sa’ar decided to continue avoiding contacts with the Austrian Freedom Party and the German AfD, says Walla.
Local Jewish communities were notified by the Foreign Ministry about the contacts.
[IsraelTimes] Channel 12’s investigative program Uvda is to air a report tonight documenting its reporter Itai Anghel’s visit to Damascus a few days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
In a promo, Anghel is seen roaming the markets of Damascus, entering abandoned military bases and Iranian headquarters, and interviewing soldiers from the post-revolution Syrian army.
Ahead of the broadcast, Anghel shared details of his visit, stating: “Everything is open; you can walk into bases and even the Iranian embassy. I took a folder from there that might contain descriptions of Iranian spies. There are passports and photos. It’s hard to believe how exposed everything is.”
Regarding his visit to the abandoned Iranian embassy, Anghel added: “There were hidden doors in the embassy building, behind which I found a massive server farm and loads of files. They shredded a lot of documents, but many were left intact. You can see classified materials still there. This was Shi’ite Iran’s greatest power hub. From here, they operated Hezbollah.”
“Surely, our [Israeli security] people were also there in the first chaotic days to gather intelligence,” Anghel said. “I wandered alone in the bases. You could take grenades or the warheads of fighter jets.”
[IsraelTimes] Hezbollah has issued internal directives for its operatives who do not live south of the Litani River to vacate the area to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume control over the border region as demanded by the ceasefire with Israel, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a source close to Hezbollah.
Some Hezbollah units have been totally dismantled after the Israeli campaign in Lebanon, says the source, but others were reconstituted by bringing fighters back from Syria following the fall of deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The report cites another source who indicates that the Iran-backed terrorist group has lost some 5,000 operatives fighting against Israel since October 7, 2023.
Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from southern Lebanese villages on February 18, but remained deployed in five strategic positions.
[IsraelTimes] Israel has begun staff work on a pilot program that would allow Syrian Druze to work in Israeli towns on the Golan Heights, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
The program was initiated by Golan Druze who asked Israeli security officials and the military to assist their Druze brethren over the border, says Kan.
The plan is being drawn up by Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and is Druze himself.
The initial stage will see dozens of Syrian Druze working in construction and agriculture in Golan Druze towns.
Israeli leaders have publicly warned Syria’s government not to harm the Druze in southwestern Syria, and regularly speak with foreign leaders about the importance of protecting them, along with Syria’s Kurds.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it has carried out dozens of “targeted raids” in southern Syria in recent weeks, during which troops captured weapons “which posed a threat to the security of the State of Israel and our forces.”
In one raid last week, the military says soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade located a cache of rifles, ammunition, and other military equipment left behind by the former Assad regime.
The IDF has described its presence in southern Syria’s buffer zone as a temporary and defensive measure, though Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that troops will remain deployed to nine army posts in the area “indefinitely.”
[IsraelTimes] The Hamas-run civil defense agency says two Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli drone strike near a school in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of southern Gaza’s Rafah a short while ago.
Their conditions are not immediately known, and the IDF has not yet commented.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs into Israel from Egypt earlier today, using a drone.
The drone was identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel, and troops of the Bardelas Battalion operating in the area captured it
The soldiers found that the drone was ferrying two kilograms (nearly 4.5 pounds) of marijuana, according to the IDF.
In recent months, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egypt border using drones. There have also been attempts to smuggle similar contraband from Israel into Gaza using drones.
[NotThBee] You know what they say in the Lone Star State: Allah Bless Texas!
Wait, that doesn't sound right ... or does it?
Welcome to Epic City and Epic Ranches! A Muslim town built by and for Muslims and Muslims only. Deep in the heart of Texas!
Yes, this is a real thing. We have Epic city, with the outskirts having a little more room at the Epic Ranches!
An entire city of over 1,000 people, 30 minutes outside of Dallas. Filled. So why not build Epic Ranches to meet demand for Muslims who weren't quick enough to get into the city?
Welcome to EPIC Ranches, where we are committed to building a vibrant and inclusive community that serves the evolving needs of the Muslim community. Our vision is rooted in creating a safe and purpose-built environment that fosters growth, connection, and prosperity for all who call EPIC City home.
They've got Islamic schools, mosques, stores. Everything that is needed for a Muslim to live comfortably in their own city to make sure they don't have the opportunity to assimilate into American culture.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared that "Sharia cities" are not allowed in the state, coming after plans for EPIC City, a Muslim-centered community that will house over 1,000 people 30 minutes outside of Dallas, and nearby similar communities, were revealed.
"To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas," Abbott wrote. "Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are 'no go zones' which this project seems to imply. Bottom line. The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas."
🚨Alert: Whistleblower tells American journalist Michael Shellenberger that FBI agents are DESTROYING evidence inside the agency to STOP Trump administration investigation into their corrupt and illegal activities!! Send in the Federal Marshals!! pic.twitter.com/6YYRo1RVlH
#9
Noem: 'I Have Found Some Leakers — They Will Be Fired'
OK, but how about prosecuting them as well? Put their asses in jail.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/25/2025 16:21
Comments ||
Top||
#10
If you had incriminating docs in your office and you waited until over 90 days after the election until a new FBI director had been confirmed to destroy the docs, then you are almost impossibly stupid.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
02/25/2025 16:35
Comments ||
Top||
It was only a few days ago that a certain fear-mongering website named, ahem, Ars Technica published an article about the prospect of a killer asteroid striking the planet Earth in the year 2032.
At the time, the odds of a small asteroid first discovered late last year—and designated 2024 YR4—hitting us were non-negligible. There was an estimated 3.2 percent chance that the large rock would impact the planet eight years from now.
In the days since then, the odds have fallen dramatically. Based on the latest estimate from NASA, there is now just a 0.0039 percent chance. Put another way, the odds of impact are 1 in 26,000.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
02/25/2025
10:14 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11160 views]
Top|| File under:
[RedState] There are leakers, and then there are leakers. Some leaking can be justified; whistleblowers to legitimately bad or evil practices by people in positions of authority is technically leaking of information, possibly even classified information, for instance.
On the other hand, on Monday, we learned that there may be some Trump-hating personnel at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who are threatening to take classified intelligence information to foreign governments if their positions are threatened by the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency — the DOGE.
In an effort to comply with an executive order to downsize the federal workforce, the CIA earlier this month sent the White House an extraordinarily unusual email listing all new hires that have been with the agency for two years or less — a list that included CIA officers who were preparing to operate under cover — over an unclassified email server.
Wait, didn't we have a certain former Secretary of State who kept classified material on an unclassified and unsecured email server? What was her name again?
The agency is now considering whether some of the employees listed in the email to the White House who were previously slated for covert deployments in sensitive locations overseas should now be held back or reassigned, sources familiar with the matter said, because the risk that their identity may have been exposed to foreign government hackers is too high.
That, to be fair, is a legitimate concern. There is a chance that leaked information could result in the death of an operator; I have an old friend who was a CIA Foreign Intelligence Officer (FIA) for 30 years, and I remember him saying that one of these people's great fears was being "burned." That was something that could easily end in a prolonged and painful death.
Here's the alarming part:
With the CIA and other intelligence agencies, "you take whatever number of employees who are gonna get cut loose and they have knowledge of sensitive programs — that by definition is an insider risk," this person said. "You’re just rolling the dice that these folks are gonna honor their secrecy agreement and not volunteer to a hostile intelligence service."
This shouldn't be a question. These people took oaths. They have — or had — security clearances, with the extensive background checks that go with those. I know — I've undergone a background check for a top-secret clearance myself. And, depending on which foreign government these disgruntled ex-employees might choose to go to, this act would be, arguably, treason.
Treason, I should note, is specifically called out in the Constitution. Article III, Section 3, Clause 1:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Under 18 USC Ch. 115: Treason, Sedition, and Subversive Activities, one can be sentenced to death for treason. It's that serious.
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
[Breitbart] California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) defended spending $50 million to fight President Donald Trump’s policies while also asking the federal government for $40 billion in fire relief, saying it was necessary to defend state programs.
Newsom spoke to reporters after launching a website devoted to “Accountability” in the state’s homeless spending — though, as Breitbart News pointed out in a question, the website does not actually include the amount being spent.
Breitbart News also asked Newsom whether it was appropriate “to sign $50 million in spending to fight the Trump administration while also asking the Federal government for $40 billion in fire relief aid.”
Newsom said he would not have phrased the question that way, and said that California wished to spend an additional $25 million on lawsuits to “protect and preserve” its policies, based on its experience with the first Trump administration, when California filed one lawsuit after another against the White House.
California expected that experience to be “replicated.” He cited the example of high-speed rail, where Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy had announced an audit of the state’s spending on the project (which includes billions of dollars in federal funds). “We were prescient in that respect,” Newsom said, “in terms of putting those funds up in anticipation of efforts happening in the second Trump administration that happened in the first Trump administration.”
As for the $25 million for legal defenses for illegal aliens, Newsom said, “that is not specific to Trump” but was rather about “protecting people’s rights” .and paying non-profit organizations and other groups that help undocumented Californians “to address their anxieties and fears.”
#4
Don't feel bad, Gavin. The next time a terrorist blows up a building in NYC, you'll likely note the rest of the country being unenthused about trying to make it right.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/25/2025 15:33
Comments ||
Top||
[Breitbart] The Trump administration is going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is still there, President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday.
“We’re actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe somebody stole the gold,” Trump said. “Tons of gold.”
The president is the chief executive as well as commander-in-chief of the military. As such, he is responsible for making sure things are as they ought to be.
Trump’s remarks follow mounting speculation on the status of the gold stored at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk has continued to bring light to the issue. The speculation mounted, particularly, after Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) publicly stated that he was denied entry into Fort Knox without explanation.
“As a U.S. senator I’ve tried repeatedly to get into Fort Knox,” he said, posting the exchange:
Fort Knox: “You can’t come to Fort Knox.”
Me: “Why?”
Fort Knox: “It’s a military installation.”
Me: “I’m a senator; I go to military bases all the time.”
Fort Knox: “You still can’t come. Because, you can’t.”
“Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox?” Musk asked after Lee’s revelation. “Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not.”
“That gold is owned by the American public! We want to know if it’s still there,” he continued.
“Surely it’s reviewed at least every year?” Musk asked, prompting a response from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
“Nope. Let’s do it,” Paul said.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is among those who support Trump’s call to inspect the gold reserves at Fort Knox.
“Well, when you haven’t checked it in so long, why wouldn’t you?” Mullin said during an appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime.
“And by going and inspecting it and saying, ‘Hey, yes, it’s there,’ or exposing that it’s not — I think the American people want to know, and I’m actually one of them as well,” he added.
[Breitbart] President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed an email sent by Elon Musk via the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to federal workers on Friday afternoon asking them to reply with five bullets of what they accomplished last week.
“I thought it was great because we have people that don’t show up to work, and nobody even knows if they work for the government. So by asking the question, ‘Tell us what you did this week?’ What he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’ And then, if you don’t answer, like you’re sort of semi-fired, or you’re fired because a lot of people are not answering because they don’t even exist,” Trump said during a press conference.
He added: “So I think it was actually — there was a lot of genius in sending it. We’re trying to find out if people are working, and so we’re sending a letter to people, ‘Please tell us what you did last week.’ If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.”
However, confusion about whether to respond to the email was still abounding as the deadline of Monday 11:59 p.m. ET approached.
The email also prompted confusion after some supervisors at some agencies, including at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their employees not to respond immediately to the email.
There was even more confusion after some top officials at some agencies told employees not to respond.
For example, State Department Acting Undersecretary for Management Tibor Nagy told employees in a statement they were not obligated to respond.
Later, FBI Director Kash Patel also told employees in a statement to “please pause any responses.” Then, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Darin Selnick told employees similarly to “please pause any response.”
On Monday morning, some agencies — such as the Department of Veterans Affairs — told employees the email was “valid.”
Asked about “a disconnect in communications,” Trump said, “No, no, no. And that was done in a friendly manner, only things such as perhaps Marco at State Department, where they have very confidential things, or the FBI, where they’re working on confidential things. And they don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They’re just saying there are some people that you don’t want to really have them tell you what they’re working on last week. But other than that, I think everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.”
He again endorsed the email, “We have to find out where these people are, who are they? And we said, If you don’t respond, we assume you’re not around and you’re not getting paid anymore, too. So, you know, we’re doing a real job. And we just had a poll come out, I guess, the Harvard poll saying that it’s massively popular what we’re doing.”
As the Trump administration’s DOGE efforts continue to have an impact across government agencies, over 12,000 employees at the General Services Administration are being notified in an agency-wide email Monday evening that a "reduction in force" is underway.
In the memo from acting GSA administrator Stephen Ehikian, according to a draft obtained by Fox News Digital, the agency thanked those employees who decided to be part of the "first step" of staff reduction on Friday by resigning from GSA and previewed the "next step of this process in support of the Presidential Executive Order: Implementing The President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative, The White House, dated February 11, 2025."
"This serves as notice that the agency will be conducting a Reduction in Force (RIF) and is seeking approval from Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to also obtain a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)," the email states. "More information to impacted business units and employees will be forthcoming."
The letter ends by thanking the employees that will be affected for their "service to this nation."
"I promise you that GSA will continue to do everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified," the letter concludes.
Fox News Digital was told by a source familiar with the situation that 30-40 employees will be affected by the reduction at first, as the agency starts with a focused number meant to ensure the plan is executed well with minimal mistakes.
The GSA, which performs a variety of tasks including managing federal real estate and procuring goods and services, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 11 regional offices.
A GSA senior manager familiar with the process told Fox News Digital that the first actions will be targeted on select offices rather than the entire agency and that bargaining unit employees are not anticipated to be affected.
Additionally, the agency is looking for an additional Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, as outlined by the OPM, and will be offering severance or discontinued services annuities as appropriate.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A police ambush, like one in Dallas that left five cops dead, has been stopped before it could happen, the FBI announced in Texas Monday.
'FBI Corpus Christi and local partners have thwarted another mass casualty attack,' the federal agency revealed in a tweet.
'FBI Corpus and @CorpusChristiPD arrested Seth aka Andrea Gregori
…another murderous trans nutter?
today on state charges filed by @NuecesCoDA after he planned an attack on police similar to the 2016 Dallas ambush.'
Investigators in the Lone Star State have not revealed specific details on the planned attack.
what follows is a description of the 2016 attack == nothing to do with Seth/Andea:
The July 7, 2016 ambush in Dallas started off with a march for 'Black Lives Matters,' where an estimated 800 demonstrators filled the streets of downtown as they protested the deaths of two black men killed by cops in Louisiana and Minnesota. About 100 officers escorted protestors through downtown to keep cars away from them and for overall safety.
A discharged Army vet, Micah Johnson, living in the Dallas area saw the protest as 'an opportunity' to attack police officers. Johnson was later revealed to have ties to black nationalist groups, and his Facebook profile photo showed him posing with a black power salute.
'The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,' Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
Four officer with the Dallas Police Department officers were gunned down as well as Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer. Nine other cops and two civilians were also wounded.
KKIIItv has more, as well as a photo of the young man:
The 21-year-old is accused of threatening to carry out an ambush-style attack against CCPD officers similar to the one in Dallas in 2016.
A probable cause statement released Tuesday says a Corpus Christi Police Department officer made contact with Seth "Andrea" Gregori on Monday near 600 Elizabeth Street prior to his arrest.
"Andrea showed to have an active warrant out of Nueces County. The warrant was for terroristic threat on a public servant." The warrant, issued on Feb. 10, carried a bond of $50,000.
The statement, which refers to Gregori throughout it as Andrea, rather than Seth, states that bodycam and in-car cameras were used in some capacity during the arrest.
Seth, or "Andrea" Gregori was arrested Monday for terroristic threats impeding public service/causing public fear or serious bodily injury and criminal trespass and was being held in the Nueces County Jail early Tuesday morning.
He was booked into the jail at 8:25 p.m. Monday and is being held on a total bond of $50,500.
Both charges are misdemeanors.
The CCPD and FBI list Gregori as a man, but the Nueces County Jail lists Gregori as female in the jail's booking information.
Corpus Christi Police Department officers and the Houston branch office of the FBI arrested Gregori Monday, accusing Gregori of planning a mass-casualty attack, according to a social-media post from the FBI Houston official X account and a CCPDBlotter.com post.
Seth "Andrea" Gregori was taken into custody after the FBI Houston was made aware of "terroristic threats" against the department, the CCPD post states. FBI Houston investigated the threats and issued an arrest warrant for Gregori.
In a social-media post Monday, FBI-Houston accused the 21-year-old of planning an attack on police similar to the 2016 attack on officers in Dallas.
[AE] Kaja Kallas, as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is demanding NATO finally admit Ukraine. The former Estonian prime minister who has aspirations of one day becoming NATO Secretary General has a deep hatred for Russia and all Russians. One must carefully question her motives as she advances through the ranks of neocons, causing the world to teeter on the brink of world war.
Slim Kallas, Kaja’s father, was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1973-1990. He was appointed as the President of the Bank of Estonia in 1991, after Estonia restored its independence. Later becoming a liberal founder of the Estonian Reform Party, Kallas served in various governmental positions always with a keen focus on distancing Estonia from all Russian influence.
Kaja Kallas has been openly anti-Russia since she entered politics. As prime minister, she demanded that all Russian and Soviet-era monuments be removed, landing her on the Russian Federation’s wanted list. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy applauded her notoriety and open hatred of Russia. "Moscow has put a prize on her head. Kaja Kallas is now wanted in Brussels," EuroNews accurately published.
Now, Estonians disliked Kallas whose policies aided in plunging their economy. "Gas might be expensive, but freedom is priceless," she callously told the people. She consistently pushed for Estonia to provide more defense funding to Ukraine and NATO and stated that Russians were no longer welcome to visit Estonia.
Kallas cannot separate Russian politicians from the Russian people. "They [Russians] define themselves in the categories of empire, imperial thinking, they like dictators," the fiery Estonian broadcast. — Our history textbooks were rewritten after independence, but in Russia this did not happen, they still learn from Soviet textbooks. Russia’s imperial ambitions — I’m not just talking about Putin. I’m talking about the country as a whole, what they are celebrating. We have to put an end to this vicious cycle," she stated.
Alex Soros, son of geopolitical meddler globalist George Soros, called her "one of Europe’s real heroes" in a social media post. "Inspiring meeting with Estonian Prime Minister, @kajakallas, one of Europe’s real hero’s! Prime Minister Kallas has been doing so much for European and transatlantic unity as well as coordination as we face the ongoing crisis with Russia," the younger Soros posted back in February 2022.
Kaja Kallas is a neocon to watch as she aims to advance in the ranks at NATO with the full backing of the establishment. "The strongest security guarantee — and, actually, also the cheapest one — is NATO membership... We have agreed that Ukraine’s path to NATO is... irreversible. We agreed on this. So, in the end, Ukraine must also be part of NATO," she recently stated. Apparently World War III is a cheaper option than peace. These are the people behind the scenes controlling the world. Although she has somewhat limited abilities in her current role, Kallas is yet another anti-Russian neocon who cannot sleep as long as the world knows peace.
[FoxNews] Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., is being accused of violating ethics rules after backing laws that financially benefited his wife's environmental organization.
The Democratic senator and climate hawk voted for key laws that provided funding for grants to the environmental non-profit group that works with his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, and pays her through a consulting firm.
The ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), is asking the Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman James Lankford, R-Okla., and Vice Chairman Chris Coons, D-Del., to investigate Whitehouse "to determine whether he violated the Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest." The group works primarily to draw attention to potential Democratic lawmaker ethics violations.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
The fighting in the SVO zone continues. Both sides are actively trying to seize the initiative, seizing more favorable positions in light of possible peace negotiations.
Despite the fact that the pace of the Russian offensive in Donbas has slowed, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are suffering defeat after defeat in other areas of the front. In the future, this could lead to serious changes on a strategic scale.
During the offensive in the north of the Kharkov region, Russian troops liberated the settlement of Topoli. This was announced on February 24 by the Russian Defense Ministry. The day before, the department also reported the liberation of the settlement of Novolyubovka in the north of the Luhansk People's Republic.
The success of the offensive in this direction allows us to form a full-fledged bridgehead for a subsequent offensive on the strategically important city of Kupyansk. The Russian Aerospace Forces' aviation is also actively operating on this section of the front. The day before, Russian aircraft struck the crossing over the Oskol River. The pontoon bridge between the settlements of Osinovo and Kupyansk-Uzlovaya station was hit.
Previously, this crossing had repeatedly become a target for Russian aviation and artillery, but the enemy invariably restored it with the help of engineering units.
The destruction of the bridges across the Oskol is of strategic importance in light of a possible attack on the city. The enemy also maintains a presence on the left bank of the river, but with the destruction of the bridges the group may be cut off from the main forces in Kupyansk and on the right bank.
Ukrainian sources are also sounding the alarm, noting that further success by the Russian army could lead to the encirclement of Kupyansk and, as a consequence, the loss of the strategically important city.
FIGHTING IN THE POKROVSKY DIRECTION
Against the backdrop of intensified military operations in the border area, the situation in the “main” theatre of military operations in the eastern part of Donbass has relatively stabilized over the past few weeks.
Assault units of the Russian army and units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are attempting local counterattacks, refraining from large-scale offensive operations.
The front stabilized along the line Zelenoe Pole - Vodyanoe Vtoroye - Peschanoye - Kotlino - Udachnoye - Andreyevka. The enemy repeatedly attempted to change the status quo in its favor and push Russian troops away from the key highway connecting Pokrovsk with the Dnepropetrovsk region, but each time unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command does not seem to be abandoning plans for a major counter-offensive operation in this area, front-line sources tell IA Regnum.
"The enemy regularly launches counterattacks. With small forces, but often. It can be assumed that this is more likely reconnaissance in force, and the most interesting is yet to come. There are reports that reserves are being brought to Pokrovsk, which are skillfully hidden in the urban development and industrial zone. Their drones are not letting up either. In short, an offensive is more than likely, but we are ready," the source notes.
The concentration of forces in the Pokrovsk area predictably led to the fact that in other areas of the front the Ukrainian Armed Forces were left without reinforcements and were forced to retreat.
LANDING BEHIND ENEMY LINES
South of Pokrovsk, the Russian Armed Forces are building on the successes achieved after liberating a key hub of Ukrainian defense — the city of Velyka Novosyolka. During the ongoing offensive, units of the Vostok group liberated the village of Novosyolka (about 15 kilometers from the city).
According to front-line sources, the liberation of Novosyolka was preceded by a breakthrough by a group of Russian troops in armored vehicles into the enemy's rear, landing troops on the southeastern outskirts of the settlement. During the battle for the settlement, part of the enemy garrison was destroyed, and the surviving forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were forced to retreat north.
North of Velikaya Novosyolka, Russian troops are expanding their bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Mokrye Yaly River. In a few days of fierce fighting, assault units liberated the village of Novocherevatoye.
The ground forces' offensive is supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, which carried out a series of airstrikes on the enemy's rear north of Velyka Novosyolka. The enemy's command post in the village of Komar, where the command staff of the enemy's 117th separate mechanized brigade was located, was hit. The command post was used to coordinate the actions of the brigade's units and organize defense on a strategically important section of the front, where the borders of the DPR, Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions converge.
Ukrainian sources believe that the next target of the Russian army's offensive in the area of Velyka Novosyolka will be the village of Burlatskoye, which, after the liberation of Novosyolka and the village of Komar, found itself half-encircled.
Several factors contribute to a successful offensive in this area, notes a frontline source of the Regnum news agency. There are no longer any large settlements under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces around which a defense can be organized, and the enemy has almost no reserves left to plug the gaps.
"After the liberation of Velikaya Novosyolka, and before that, Ugledar, they have nowhere to impose urban battles on us. In the bare steppe, especially in winter, this is a paradise for our drones. Positions created in the open field are often left almost without cover, we bypass pockets of resistance and take the enemy by maneuvering," the source explains.
The fighting also continues in the area between Velikaya Novosyolka and Ugledar. According to reports from the field, Russian troops managed to drive the enemy out of the settlement of Ulakly and advance in the direction of Constantinople.
A further offensive in this area threatens to encircle the enemy group in Constantinople and to enter into operational space - to the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region.
MUTUAL ATTACKS ON THE REAR
The past week was also marked by an increase in attacks on communications and rear areas, with both sides striking. The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command is gradually introducing into combat multi-role F-16 fighters supplied by Western countries. The aircraft are often "spotted" in the Kharkov and Sumy regions, supporting forces operating in the Kursk direction.
Typically, the F-16s are escorted by "Soviet-made" Su-24 and MiG-29 aircraft that have been adapted to use NATO-style air-to-ground munitions. Other sources record the appearance of F-16s practicing the dropping of air-to-ground munitions at training grounds in western Ukraine.
As the Ukrainian Air Force adapts, F-16s will increasingly see combat action, likely to be joined by Mirage-2000s supplied by France.
Last week, Russian troops launched a series of strikes against the enemy's rear using missile systems and rocket artillery. A major success was the strike against the base of the enemy's "Lyut" brigade's military equipment in the vicinity of the village of Konstantinovka. Ukrainian sources recorded the aftermath of the strike, publishing footage of the destroyed military equipment online.
The strikes on Konstantinovka are taking on a strategic character in light of possible battles for the city, which could begin very soon.
[IsraelTimes] Moussa Abu Marzouk says ‘impossible’ to call Gaza war a victory for terror group, says he’s open to discussing its disarmament; Hamas: Words taken out of context, don’t represent us
Senior Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... politburo member Moussa Abu Marzouk said he would not have backed the October 7, 2023, invasion and onslaught in southern Israel if he had known what the consequences would be for 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... Strip, in an interview with The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... that was conducted on Friday and published on Monday.
The October 7 attack — in which thousands of Hamas-led faceless myrmidons burst across the Gaza-Israel border, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, amid rampant acts of brutality and sexual assault — sparked the subsequent war in Gaza, which has devastated the enclave, seen tens of thousands killed, and prompted the US president to call for the forced relocation of the more than 2 million residents of the Strip.
The war has also, through fighting on other fronts, significantly weakened Iran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance®," devastating the Hezbollah terror group in Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , and indirectly contributing to the collapse of the Iran-backed Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... regime in Syria.
"If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been October 7," Abu Marzouk said, asserting that — though he claimed to not have been privy to the exact details of the planned assault — he could not have brought himself to approve it, knowing what he knows now.
Y’all assumed that naturally Allah would protect his best beloveds from any serious repercussions, and thus President Biden’s America, the EU, and the Moslem governments would force Israel to surrender. But it turns out Allah just isn’t that into you, and after what you and your little friends did on 10/7, the Israelis gave up on the idea that there was anyone on your side worth bargaining with. Though they were willing to work with you if you’d learnt anything from the experience, the stupid games you played these past two weeks means once the hostages are recovered, you’re toast.
The statement of regret marked a departure from previous statements by Hamas officials. A few weeks after the invasion, for example, politburo member Ghazi Hamad publicly declared that October 7 was "just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth," saying, "we are ready to pay" the price, and vowing to continue until Israel was totally annihilated.
A fatal misjudgment, that.
In the weeks since a hostage release-ceasefire deal was reached last month, Hamas and its allies have also repeatedly called the war a "victory" for their cause.
Indeed, Abu Marzouk’s remarks were quickly countered by Hamas front man Hazem Qassem, who said: "The occupation’s aggressive and destructive behavior is the cause of the destruction in Gaza. The October 7 epic marks a strategic turning point in the Paleostinian national struggle."
In a statement issued a short while later by the group itself, Hamas claimed Abu Marzouk’s comments were "incorrect and taken out of context."
Oh well. It was nice to think learning had happened, but clearly that’s not permitted. Now we know.
"The interview was conducted a few days ago and the published statements did not reflect the full content of the answers," the terror group contended.
In the interview, Abu Marzouk said Hamas’s survival, despite Israel’s campaign in Gaza, constituted a "kind of victory." He compared the terror group, which has been the de facto government of Gaza since ousting the Paleostinian Authority’s main Fatah faction in a 2007 coup, to a regular person who has survived a boxing match with heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. But he said that in absolute terms, it would be "unacceptable" to call the war a win for the terror group.
"We’re talking about a party [Israel] that lost control of itself and took Dire Revenge against everything," Abu Marzouk claimed. "That is not a victory under any circumstances."
Sez you. We disagree.
ABU MARZOUK SAYS OPEN TO TALKING DISARMAMENT
In the interview, Abu Marzouk also said he was open to discussing the potential disarmament of the terror group in Gaza, saying that, "We are ready to speak about every issue," and, "Any issue that is put on the table, we need to speak about it." He declined, however, to answer specific questions about what a compromise on disarmament might look like.
The comments seemed to contradict more hardline statements from other public leaders of late, such as politburo member Osama Hamdan, who said this month that "the weapons of the resistance" were non-negotiable.
Asked about Hamdan’s remarks, Abu Marzouk told The New York Times that no one leader could set the organization’s agenda.
Qassem, the Hamas front man, also rejected the idea of disarmament, saying: "We hold onto our resistance weapon as a legitimate right, and what was attributed to Moussa Abu Marzouk does not represent the movement’s stance. Resistance® in all its forms is a legitimate right for our people until liberation and return."
Asked about the ongoing, fragile hostage release-ceasefire deal, which has paused fighting in the Strip as Hamas has freed captives who were mostly kidnapped on October 7 and Israel has set free over a thousand Paleostinian security prisoners, including many terror convicts, Abu Marzouk said he was open to extending the three-part deal’s first phase, which is currently slated to end on Saturday.
He said, however, that the group would demand far more security prisoners released in exchange for each of the remaining hostages than it had for those released in the past, noting that Hamas considers all the remaining living captives — including those who are in fact civilians — to be soldiers.
Abu Marzouk suggested 500-to-1 and 1,000-to-1 as possible prisoner-to-hostage ratios for the remaining captives, which are likely to be rejected out of hand by Israel.
The interview was conducted before Israel’s decision on Saturday to freeze the release of 602 security inmates in exchange for six living hostages, after five of those hostages were released in propaganda ceremonies that the state called "humiliations."
Abu Marzouk added that Hamas is also open to releasing all the hostages at once, in exchange for an end to the war and the release of all Paleostinian prisoners — terms which Israel has rejected.
IDF RESPONDS TO ROCKET FIRE, AS CEASEFIRE UP IN THE AIR
With the first phase of the deal set to end Saturday, negotiations are ongoing for the second phase, which envisions Hamas releasing all remaining living hostages — believed to be at least 24 of the 63 captives — in exchange for several thousand Paleostinian security prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and a permanent end to the war.
US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that, "We will get to phase two... I think it’s going to happen," but called any Hamas role in the postwar government of the Strip a "red line."
Israeli leaders have repeatedly stressed in recent days that there are battle plans ready in the event that the deal should collapse and fighting resume.
On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces struck a rocket launching site in Gaza, from which a rocket had been fired at Israel but fell short in the Strip, the military said. It added that a second rocket launch site in the area was also targeted.
* Hamas attacked, murdered and took civilians. Civilians, which included raping kids and women hostages. All while using GAZA as a launch pad & base of operations.
* Hamas shown videos and bragged that it holds hostages in GAZA in conditions that PETA would raise hell about, if it involved animals, instead of Jewish persons.
And this Hamas idiot wants us to believe Hamas didn't expect a world of hurt to happen to the GAZA people for supporting such plain ass EVIL?
So, he is either an early nominee for IDIOT OF THE YEAR?
Or he, Iran & Hamas are Back-Tracking because they are getting their asses handed to them by the IDF and the USA.
#3
Hubris. My calculus is Hamas thought with the investment that Iran had provided in the lead up to Oct 7 that their allies (iran and hezbollah) would support them regardless of Hamas unilaterally deciding to start the war prematurely and without their allies consent.
Text taken from the Telegram channel of A_S_Sukonkin
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Writer Alexey Sukonkin on some interesting details of the life of American mercenaries in Ukraine. ABOUT AMERICAN MERCENARIES IN UKRAINE
There will be a lot of interesting things now.
The beginning of the story is quite ordinary and banal: on one of the sections of the front (comrades asked not to name a specific direction) a certain military leader in the Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform came to our positions, whose intentions the forward patrol did not recognize (and did not want), and just in case shot him in the head, although he tried to wave his hands about something and smile happily. Falling, the character removed the tripwire and was additionally minced by a MON-50 mine.
Then it was already more interesting. In his pockets they found a phone, the contents of which raised many questions, in particular, a mercenary contract was found in it, from which it was concluded that the pieces of meat could have previously belonged to a foreign citizen, most likely an American. A survey of personnel showed that this character walked towards our positions confidently and as if not hiding, as if he knew that nothing bad would happen to him.
Now the most interesting part. After Trump's historic statement, USAID curtailed its activities around the world, including in Ukraine. Contractors were left without funding, including recruiting agencies responsible for paying salaries to mercenaries. And after telephone negotiations between the presidents of Russia and the United States (and after the demonstrative exchange of Mark Fogel for Alexander Vinnik), shifts began that no one could have foreseen before - a mechanism for the gradual return of American citizens from the Ukrainian Armed Forces was launched. What is characteristic, and I emphasize this, this procedure concerns exclusively American citizens. This process includes the removal of the bodies of dead US citizens and wounded soldiers undergoing treatment in Ukrainian medical institutions.
At the same time, assessing the situation, we can confidently say - recruiting centers stopped recruiting American citizens, and the American embassy in Kiev issued a warning about the undesirability of the presence of its citizens on the territory of Ukraine.
The mercenaries themselves are being informed by the US about the need to leave the combat zone, and this is proposed to be done both via the entry route and... by surrendering to Russian forces on the line of combat contact, and in the second case, they are allegedly guaranteed safety (according to the agreements reached between Russia and the US???). I cannot yet say that this is exactly true, but some facts (stopping funding, withdrawal of American mercenaries from Ukraine) force me to accept this point of view.
And as a cherry on the cake - the mercenary's mince was taken by some unknown comrades who strongly resemble some kind of special forces.
Now you have to live with it.
Indirect consequences of Trump's defeat of the USAID network
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Shuntian Chemical Group company from the Chinese city of Linyi (Shandong Province) sent out letters to its employees demanding that they marry before the end of September 2025. Otherwise, they faced dismissal, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
"Not responding to the government's call to improve marriage rates is disloyal. Not listening to parents is disrespectful. Allowing yourself to be single is defiant. Not living up to the expectations of your colleagues is unfair," the document says.
The order applied to all single or divorced workers between the ages of 28 and 58.
According to the company's internal regulations, those who fail to get married by the end of March must write a letter of self-criticism. Those who remain single by June face an assessment of their professional performance. In the fall, single employees were promised dismissal.
The social media backlash and government intervention led to the repeal of the requirement. The local Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security said the company had violated labor laws and demanded that the pressure on employees be stopped immediately.
The management of Shuntian Chemical Group, in turn, claimed that in this way they supported the government's policy of increasing marriages in the country. As a result, the company abandoned the harsh measures, and no one was fired.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in November 2024, the authorities of the Chinese city of Lüliang (Shanxi Province) decided to pay 1,500 yuan (about 20,000 rubles) to newlyweds if the bride is under 35 years old at the time of the wedding. The payments will be received by couples who registered their marriage from January 1, 2025, if at least one of the spouses is registered in Lüliang.
The measure is aimed at combating falling marriage rates and a declining birth rate, which fell from 13.61 to 6.6 children per 1,000 people between 2005 and 2023. Similar programs have already been introduced in at least two other Chinese cities.
#8
There’s been a steady flow of females for at least a decade, escaping from North Korea and trafficked from Pakistan and Bangladesh, that’s taken a bit of the edge off. Less desirable than a native girl, of course, but needs must.
[IsraelTimes] Foreign ministers in Brussels say they’ll monitor developments to ensure move remains appropriate; bloc had conditioned relief on rebel leader eschewing religious extremism
European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... countries on Monday suspended a range of sanctions against Syria with immediate effect, including restrictions related to energy, banking, transport and reconstruction.
The EU has a range of sanctions in place targeting both individuals and economic sectors in Syria.
European leaders began rethinking their approach after Death Eater forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) ousted Syria’s Iran-backed president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... in December, more than 13 years after the start of the country’s civil war.
Meeting in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to suspend restrictions on the energy sector that covered oil, gas and electricity, and sanctions on the transport sector.
They have also lifted asset freezes for five banks, eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank and indefinitely extended an exemption to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid.
EU states had maintained a range of other sanctions related to the Assad authorities, including those on arms trading, dual-use goods with both military and civilian uses, software for surveillance and the international trade of Syrian cultural heritage goods.
They said they would continue to monitor the situation in Syria to ensure that the suspensions remained appropriate.
It was unclear if the EU’s sanctions relief applied to HTS and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto president.
HTS, a former branch of al-Qaeda, has attempted to shake off its holy warrior image and said it would honor religious minorities. Soon after the group ousted Assad, the EU’s top diplomat said sanctions on Syria would be lifted only after the country’s new leadership disavowed religious extremism and proved it would respect women’s and minority rights.
Following Assad’s ouster, Israel moved troops into the two countries’ buffer zone, citing fear it would fall into the wrong hands. The buffer zone, on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, had been demilitarized under a 1974 agreement between Israel and Syria.
Sharaa has called on Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone and said he would accept international peacekeepers being stationed there.
On Sunday, speaking at a military ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would stay in the buffer zone indefinitely.
"We will not allow [HTS] forces or the new Syrian army to move into territory south of Damascus," said Netanyahu.
Israel has carried out several strikes in Syria since Assad’s ouster and destroyed the lion’s share of the former Syrian military’s air defenses. Throughout the Syrian civil war, Israel had reportedly carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, with the country having become a throughway for arms from 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... to its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. Both Iran and the terror group propped up Assad’s regime during the war.
[IsraelTimes] Friedrich Merz vows to ‘find a way’ for PM to travel to and from Germany without arrest; premier hails Merz for ‘openly defying ICC’s scandalous decision’ to accuse him of war crimes
German election winner Friedrich Merz said Monday he would make sure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can visit Germany despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the Israeli leader.
Merz, who is expected to become Germany’s chancellor after his conservative CDU/CSU bloc came first in an election on Sunday, told a presser he had spoken with Netanyahu.
"I told him that we should see each other soon after the government is formed," Merz said. "In the event that he plans to visit Germany, I have committed myself to find a way to ensure that he can visit Germany and leave again without being arrested."
Merz said it was a "completely absurd idea" that an Israeli prime minister could not visit Germany.
Netanyahu’s office said he had congratulated Merz and that the German election winner had invited the premier to visit.
"Merz thanked the prime minister for his call and said he would invite him for an official visit to Germany, openly defying the ICC’s scandalous decision to label the prime minister as a war criminal," said the Prime Minister’s Office.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for allegedly targeting civilians and using starvation as a weapon of war 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... . Israel has rejected the accusations, with some calling the arrest warrants antisemitic.
The ICC also sought to prosecute slain Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... leaders Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continued as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintained a separate PM in the West Bank. Zapped during the 2023-24 war, to eveyone's satisfaction... , Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar for crimes against humanity perpetrated during and after October 7, 2023 — when thousands of Hamas-led bully boyz stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
All three terror criminal masterminds had already been killed by Israel by the time the ICC issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Reacting to Merz’s remarks, the ICC said states have a legal obligation to enforce its decisions, and any concerns they may have should be addressed with the court in a timely and efficient manner.
"It is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court’s legal decisions," the court said.
GERMAN LEFTIST PARTY BLASTS INVITATION
The Left party in Germany called Merz’s invitation a "disaster" and accused him of "double standards."
Germany has always insisted that international arrest warrants must be implemented, said Left co-leader Jan van Aken.
"If Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... comes to Germany, then this arrest warrant must be implemented. The same applies to Netanyahu," said Aken, referring to an ICC arrest warrant issued for the Russian leader over the deportation of children from Ukraine.
The German government had previously said it was "examining" the ICC warrant against Netanyahu and that it was bound by the court.
But German officials carefully avoided saying whether they would act on the warrant, referring to the country’s "great responsibility towards Israel" as a consequence of the Holocaust.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States... imposed sanctions on the ICC, accusing it of "abusing its power" in issuing the warrant against Netanyahu.
Merz still needs to find a partner to form a coalition before he becomes chancellor, which could be a lengthy process.
[IsraelTimes] Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa received an invitation to attend an Arab summit in Cairo to discuss post-war governance of Gaza, the Syrian presidency says.
“The president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mr Ahmed al-Sharaa, received an official invitation from the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt… to participate in the extraordinary Arab League summit” on March 4 in Cairo, the presidency statement says
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Yesterday, February 23, a solemn funeral of the Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah took place in Beirut. Nasrallah was killed by the Israelis in September 2024, but he was only buried almost six months later, and this event turned into a major political event.
Nasrallah's body could not be removed from the underground bunker destroyed by an airstrike for a long time, and after that, political instability in Lebanon prevented the burial - Hezbollah preferred to wait for the formation of a new government, so as not to draw attention to itself and not to provoke former opponents.
In addition to Nasrallah, the last respects were also paid to his cousin, Hashim Safi al-Din, who was elected the new secretary general, but survived his predecessor by only a couple of weeks.
The funeral procession, aptly titled “We Are Committed to the Covenant,” attracted more than a million people and was the largest in Lebanon’s history in 20 years. It also offered a clear indication of how support for Hezbollah has changed in the past six months.
INNER CIRCLE
The Lebanese services responsible for security at the mourning event eventually reported the presence of representatives from at least 12 countries. According to observers, the largest group of guests came from Iraq (almost 140,000 people). The top three also included Iran (106,000 people) and Yemen (27,000 people). In fact, the entire pro-Iranian “Axis of Resistance” was present.
It is also noteworthy that the ceremony was attended not only by Muslims, but also by representatives of the Christian community, including representatives of the Maronite communities of Lebanon.
In terms of representation at the official level, Iran, as expected, demonstrated the greatest involvement.
Official Tehran sent a group of high-ranking politicians to Beirut under the leadership of the Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Both officials at one time worked quite closely with Nasrallah and ensured operational communication between Hezbollah and the Iranian authorities.
At the same time, the Lebanese establishment treated Nasrallah's funeral very formally. The country's President Joseph Aoun did not take part in the funeral ceremony, although as a sign of respect for the party past of Nasrallah and al-Din, he sent a fairly large delegation from the presidential administration and government apparatus to the event.
Newly appointed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also avoided attending the ceremony on the pretext of a business trip.
As a result, of the prominent Lebanese politicians, only the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, was present at the farewell to the Hezbollah leaders ; his presence was interpreted as a willingness to remain a link between Hezbollah and other political forces in Lebanon, as well as a lack of intention to “push” Hezbollah supporters out of legislative work.
The weak representation of Lebanese officials (compared to Iran) can be explained by official Beirut’s fears of overly angering Israel.
Despite the fact that relations between Lebanon and the Jewish state are already at a low point, it is important for Beirut to achieve a complete withdrawal of the Israeli contingent from its territories.
In this context, obvious sympathy for Hezbollah could be perceived by Tel Aviv as a sign of hidden agreements between the new Lebanese authorities and Iran and used to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon.
For a similar reason, representatives of Arab states with close ties to the Israeli side were almost completely absent from the event.
COUNTER MOVE
The Israeli side took advantage of the excitement surrounding the funerals of former Hezbollah leaders in its own way.
On the day of the mourning ceremony, footage of an airstrike on the Dahya neighborhood, where the underground headquarters of the Hezbollah leadership was located, appeared on the resources of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) - later, they were actively published by Israeli LOMs, accompanied by ironic captions and comments.
The Israelis did not abandon Hezbollah supporters during the farewell ceremony itself - IDF fighters flew at least several times at dangerously low altitudes over Beirut, simulating preparations for a missile and bomb strike.
Later, the press also reported "indiscriminate strikes" by Israeli aircraft in various parts of the country (primarily in the south) - however, most of them were later denied by the Israeli side. The "clear shell explosions" that journalists wrote about that day were in fact the result of sapper work to destroy the movement's old arsenals.
True, the IDF did have to admit to several bombings: Israeli warplanes struck the outskirts of the towns of Zeraria, Zibqin, Kalila, Janneta, Deir Qanun al-Nahr and Maroub. All of these settlements are located in southern Lebanon and, according to Tel Aviv, are “included in the military zone” of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Official Beirut responded to this with a "demonstration of serious concern."
CONTINUERS OF THE BUSINESS
Perhaps the most important element of the event was the “solemn oath” of Hezbollah’s current leader, Naim Qassem. He not only promised to “continue the work” of Nasrallah, but also to destroy US plans to “sell Gaza” to Israel with the tacit approval of its Arab partners.
Despite the fact that the oath was given via video link and Kassem was not personally present at the ceremony (for security reasons), it fulfilled its purpose in full.
After six months of “radio silence,” Lebanon’s Hezbollah has effectively announced plans to fully engage in the fight against Israel and provide Iran with support for a possible Operation True Promise 3.
Of course, the movement's positions were seriously undermined and one should not expect a quick entry into the fight. However, it was much more important to show Israel that the IDF still cannot consider the "northern direction" completely cleared.
And Hezbollah in this case used the same tactics to convey its message as the Palestinian Hamas had used earlier, explicitly framing the demonstration of the potential of its supporters, both military and civilian, within the confines of a public event.
It’s finally happening!! “State and Federal law enforcement are targeting Colony Ridge”
- Colony Ridge is a 60 SQUARE MILE CITY of illegal aliens in the middle of Texas - Roughly the size of Washington DC - Colony Ridge is home to more than 75,000 illegals
… once named a safe haven for immigrants now being targeted by state and federal law enforcement.”
“Colony Ridge is now being targeted by an operation including DPS troopers, special agents, and Homeland Security.”
Why was this place ever allowed to exist in the first place??
According to the Rantburg archives, Colony Ridge became a recruiting hotbed for MS-13, the 18th Street gang, and other ultra-violent syndicates. So ICE arrest numbers will go up rapidly there. Win-win!
#2
Colony Ridge is a collection of subdivisions in unincorporated Liberty County, Texas, United States. It is approximately 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Downtown Houston.[1]
Officials at the Torkham crossing have stated that the border remains closed for the third consecutive day, with no movement allowed in either direction.https://t.co/bUgH0VLm5Z
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes from 00:00 02/24/2025 to 00:00 02/25/2025.
A total of 23 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of one civilian being killed and ten injured.
DAMAGED:
Four residential buildings,
Seven cars,
A total of 11 civil infrastructure facilities.
A total of 23 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 66 units of various ammunition were fired.
19:53 Electronic Warfare Forces suppressed UAV in Sevastopol, it crashed in a large residential area.
18:46 Artillerymen covered mortar position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region
Reconnaissance units of the North troop group uncovered a camouflaged firing position of an enemy portable mortar crew in a wooded area.
The detected target was destroyed by a precise hit from the group's artillery.
18:18 Between 16:15 and 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
four UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region and
one UAV each over the territories of the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
18:01 Group of Forces "Vostok" is advancing west of Novoocheretovatoye –MAP
In a matter of days, the "easterners" broke through two lines of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces northwest of Velyka Novosyolka. A powerful line of fortifications along the Skotovata gully and a line along the Krutoy ravine. This certainly indicates a shortage of personnel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainians do not have enough infantry to fill all these fortifications. The Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated to the Burlatskoye-Skudnoye line along the Krutoy gully.
17:29 Over Belgorod worked air defense
There is no information about casualties or damage.
17:08 FPV drone crews on fiber optics from the Sever group destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces combat armored vehicle.
16:28 The naval infantry crossed the border and occupied the northern part of the village of Zhuravka. Heavy fighting is currently underway, the enemy is pulling reinforcements to this area – MAP
16:09 Russian Armed Forces fighters crossed the border with Ukraine in the Kursk region in two areas Ussuri paratroopers of the 83rd Brigade, having liberated the settlement of Nikolayevo-Daryino, entered the territory of Ukraine and are advancing in the area of the border settlement of Zhuravka in the Sumy region. They occupied the northern part of the village. Heavy fighting is underway, the enemy is bringing up reserves.
Another area is located to the east. Our troops are developing their success after the liberation of Sverdlikovo and have entered the territory of Sumy Oblast in the direction of Basovka. Fighting is underway in the area of the settlement of Novenkoye.
15:56 From 14:00 to 15:30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
four UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region and
one UAV each over the territories of the Belgorod and Oryol regions.
15:53 Our assaults occupied the ravine between Novy Komar and Burlatskiy.
The front line now runs approximately along the line Razdolnoye – Kamennaya gully – Skudnoye – Burlatskoye – Privolnoye – Novosyolka.
15:50 Drone operators from the Rubicon Center, using night vision devices, hit supply and transport of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen via roads, destroying enemy equipment and weapons.
15:03 Around 13:40 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Belgorod region.
14:10 Crews of T-72B3M tanks of the "East" group of forces support assault groups of motorized rifle units in the South Donetsk direction fired.
Having received the coordinates of the enemy's firing points from the scouts, the servicemen arrived at the firing positions, quickly aimed the combat vehicle at the target and hit the enemy stronghold.
14:00 Around 12:10 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Belgorod region.
13:51 Evacuation of a dozen civilians from the village of Ulakly in the DPR from shelling carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Soldiers of the 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the East Group of Forces were involved in the evacuation.
The operation to rescue civilians lasted more than a day. People were taken to a temporary accommodation point, where they were provided with clean clothes, sleeping places and hot meals.
13:07 Calculation of the 122mm MLRS "Grad" of the group of forces "Center" inflicted an attack on a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in the Dzerzhinsk area in the Aleksandro-Kalinovsky direction.
The control of the destruction of targets and the adjustment of fire was carried out by the UAV crew of the reconnaissance unit.
12:22 Units of the West group of forces have improved their tactical position through active actions released the settlement of Topoli, Kharkiv region.
12:18 In the Kursk border area, FPV operators GV "Sever" discovered a BMP of the Ukrainian military and unhindered fire damage was inflicted on it by a kamikaze drone on fiber optics.
11:56 Novopavlovskoe direction
5th Army units attack enemy fortified area in the Burlatskoye and Privolnoye area.
There are battles for Skudnoe. Our units are breaking through to Dneproenergiya.
At the same time, our actions intensified in the area west and northwest of Razdolnoye, securing the flanks of the advancing units in the area of Dneproenergiya and Razliv-Bogatyr.
11:42 New attacks on enemy targets with guided aerial bombs - explosionsare being distributed in the suburbs of Khar'kov.
10:48 Fighters of the "Center" group storming Ukrainian Armed Forces' stronghold in the Pokrovsk direction
The Brave Ones' attack aircraft occupied a number of Ukrainian militant positions during the offensive.
Russian artillery crews actively support the advance of the forward groups with fire.
09:59 Discovered and destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank by UAV operators from the Yug group, near the village of Ulakly.
09:54 FPV operators during air patrol in the Kursk border area discovered an M-777 weapon and attacked it with a fiber-optic drone.
09:36 Armed Forces of Ukraine hit in the center of Gorlovka (DPR): one of the shells hit the apartment directly
This was reported by the city's mayor Ivan Prikhodko. According to him, two civilians were injured.
09:13 Around 7:10 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Bryansk region.
09:10 More than 170 terrorist attacks by Ukrainian drones on civilians and civilian infrastructure in the DPRtorn offover the past week.
08:49 Servicemen of the repair company of the 177th Separate Guards Naval Infantry regiment of the Caspian flotilla continue to restore and modernize military equipment in the border area of the Kursk region.
07:18 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 22 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
16 UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
three UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region,
two UAVs over the territory of the Ryazan region and
one UAV over the territory of the Republic of Crimea.
08:42 The combined detachment of the NBC protection of the Guards "North" opened a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold with a mortar. UAV operators quickly fired thermobaric drops at targets.
07:06 A crew of a fiber-optic controlled UAV from the 106th Guards Tula Airborne Division, operating as part of the North group of troops, in the past 24 hours destroyed several units of American equipment, as well as Soviet-style infantry fighting vehicles, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces used in the Kursk region.
05:03 Crews of T-72B3M tanks of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the West group continue to apply crushing blows against military facilities, armored vehicles and Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
This time, the “seventy-twos” used 125mm shells to dismantle the enemy’s camouflaged positions and destroy the manpower of the Ukrainian militants.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on units of one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade close to Liptsy and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU lost up to 25 troops and four motor vehicles.
The Zapad Group's units improved the tactical situation and liberated Topoli (Kharkov region).
The Group inflicted fire damage on three mechanised brigades, one airborne brigade, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and one territorial defence brigade near Kupyansk, Kamenka, Stepovaya Novoselovka, Lozovaya (Kharkov region) and Makeyevka (Lugansk People's Republic).
The enemy losses amounted to up to 200 troops, an armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns, four of which were manufactured by NATO countries.
One Kvertus electronic warfare station and three ammunition depots were neutralised.
The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. The Group hit five mechanised brigades and one airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Seversk, Verkhnekamenskoye, Novomarkovo, Chasov Yar, Stupochki, Chervonoye, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 180 troops and two motor vehicles. A U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery warfare station and an ammunition depot were neutralised.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line. The Group inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of five mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade, one assault brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, and two National Guard brigades near Shcherbinovka, Zverevo, Sergeyevka, Shevchenko, Udachnoye, Uspenovka, and Andreyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 315 troops, two Kazak armoured fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, and three artillery guns.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. They hit units of one tank brigade, two mechanised brigades, one airborne brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and three territorial defence brigades near Konstantinopol, Komar, Skudnoye, Volnoye Pole, Burlatskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Gulyaipole (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy losses amounted to more than 145 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns.
The Dnepr Group's units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades and three coastal defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Kamenskoye, Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region), Stepnoye, Tokarevka, Ponyatovka, and Pridneprovskoye (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 60 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, seven motor vehicles, and one ammunition depot.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have inflicted damage on infrastructure of military airfields, training areas for operators of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment areas of armed formations of Ukraine in 127 areas.
Air defence systems shot down two U.S.-made JDAM aerial bombs and 71 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 656 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 44,334 unmanned aerial vehicles, 596 anti-aircraft missile systems, 21,720 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,521 MLRS combat vehicles, 21,992 field artillery guns and mortars, and 32,085 units of support military vehicles of the enemy have been neutralised.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 19.00 The UN General Assembly supported a resolution on the third anniversary of the Russian war against Ukraine. The document was prepared by the Ukrainian side and its partners.
The document entitled Promoting a Comprehensive, Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine was supported by 93 countries. Another 65 states abstained and 18 voted against. Among those against were the United States, Russia, Israel and Hungary. However, Slovakia voted "for", while China and India abstained.
18.12 Those guilty from Russia who started the war against Ukraine should be brought to trial even after the end of the "hot phase" of hostilities. This was stated on Monday, February 24, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference with the leaders of partner countries at the Support Ukraine summit.
18.01 At least one person was killed as a result of Russian shelling of Slavyansk. The total number of victims is being clarified. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin on Monday, February 24.
17.55 The foreign ministers of the EU member states have supported a new initiative for military aid to Ukraine. This was stated by the EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.
17.47 US President Donald ordered an urgent review of the need for the continued operation of the base in Alexandroupolis, which the Greek government allocated to the Biden administration for the purpose of transferring forces and weapons systems to Ukraine to fight in the war unleashed by Russia, the Greek newspaper Democracy reported .
17.21 Ukraine has received 12 of the 19 F-16 fighters promised by Denmark. The rest will be delivered this year. This was stated by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen at a special YES meeting in Kiev.
16.48 Officers of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation set off an explosion in the office of the so-called head of the illegal occupation institution "Multifunctional Center My Documents" Roman Podsudevsky in the temporarily captured city of Primorsk in the Zaporizhia region. The explosion occurred on the night of February 23. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
16.37 Russian aviation has struck a frontline settlement in the Dergachev community in the Kharkiv region. This was reported by the State Emergency Service on Monday, February 24.
According to preliminary data, four people were injured. There may still be people under the rubble of the residential building.
16.28 Since the beginning of the day, 69 combat clashes have occurred on the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the operational summary as of 16.00. About a third of Russian attacks are concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction. There, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are repelling assaults in the areas of 11 settlements.
16.19 The full-scale war against Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin three years ago, has worsened the lives of 54% of Russians. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Chronicles.
15:57 Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, more than 200 civilians have died in Kiev, including 11 children. This was reported by the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko.
According to him, the air raid alarm sounded 1,539 times in total. During this time, 1,239 residential buildings were damaged, as well as 194 educational institutions, 41 healthcare institutions, and 17 social institutions.
15.32 The UK has introduced the largest package of sanctions against Russia in three years. This was reported by the British government. The new sanctions are aimed at illegal income that fuels Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine and Russian kleptocrats.
15.19 The SBU has detained two clerics of the UOC-MP who were actively disseminating enemy propaganda via social networks and messengers, calling for the seizure of Ukrainian territory. This was reported by the SBU press service on Monday, February 24.
15.00 EU countries may increase the package of additional military aid for Ukraine by a third - up to 30 billion euros. This was reported by Radio Liberty editor for Europe Rikard Jozwiak.
14.21 Russia does not yet see any preconditions for resuming dialogue with Europe. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the 15th package of sanctions against Russia approved by the EU. The actions of the Europeans are in complete contrast to the recent actions of the Americans, Dmitry Peskov stated.
13:53 The Irish government plans to transfer some of its outdated air defense systems to Ukraine to protect cities and small towns. This was reported by The Irish Times on Monday, February 24.
In particular, Ireland will transfer Giraffe Mark IV radar systems to Ukraine.
13.49 Spain will provide Ukraine with military aid worth 1 billion euros by the end of 2025. This was stated by the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the plenary session of Support Ukraine in Kyiv. Spain will also address the needs of the Ukrainian diaspora and create a special hub in the province of Alicante.
13.42 A former Odessa MP from the pro-Russian Rodina party , who accompanied a column of Russian troops to Kiev, has been charged with high treason and war propaganda. This was reported on Monday, February 24, by the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) on its Telegram channel.
13:34 The National Bank has minted a new commemorative coin " Let's fight !" for the third anniversary of the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
13:19 Russian troops attacked one of the residential areas of Kherson on the night of February 24. As a result of enemy shelling, a man was killed. This was reported by the press service of the State Emergency Service on Monday, February 24.
13:00 Canada will provide Ukraine with a new package of military aid and 5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.52 billion) received from frozen Russian assets. This was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the plenary session of Support Ukraine in Kyiv. This includes armored vehicles, equipment for F-16s, millions of additional ammunition and other equipment.
12:58 Russia's ground forces have changed radically over the three years of full-scale war in Ukraine. Russia now relies on mass rather than quality to continue the war against Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence reports.
12.38 Europe must be at the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine, since it, its way of life and security are strategic targets of Russia. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the plenary session of the Support Ukraine forum in Kyiv.
12:29 President Volodymyr Zelensky recalled that Russia has violated ceasefire agreements more than 25 times since 2014. He said this in Kiev during the plenary session of the Support Ukraine forum on Monday, February 24.
According to the head of state, simple "silence on the front" is not enough to achieve lasting peace.
12:10 Ukraine's largest charitable foundations raised UAH 24.1 billion last year, which is 28% more than in 2023. In total, during the years of the full-scale war, Come Back Alive , the Prytula Foundation and United24 raised UAH 93 billion.
The United24 platform collected the most donations last year: UAH 17.5 billion. 92% of all donations collected by this platform were directed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
UAH 4.4 billion, or 18% of the total donations last year, were collected by the Vernisya Alive fund . Another UAH 2.1 billion in donations were accumulated by Serhiy Prytula's fund in 2024.
11:49 Russia will stop military actions in Ukraine only when negotiations to end the war "produce a firm, sustainable result" that satisfies Moscow. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after negotiations in Ankara. He also stated that those territories of Ukraine that are already included in the Russian constitution have allegedly acquired a different "international legal status."
10:55 The European Union adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. The EU Council announced the details of the package .
10:38 Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov opened the first part of the Memorial to Ukrainian intelligence officers in Kiev on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion.
10.30 Ukrainian military successfully hit two strategic facilities on the territory of the aggressor country Russia. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are talking about the Ryazan Oil Refinery in the Ryazan Region and the Russian oil depot - FGKU Kombinat 8 Marta in the Tula Region.
10:15 The Security Service detained two enemy agents who were adjusting Russia's fire on Ukrainian defenders in the frontline areas of Donetsk Oblast.
Both defendants acted separately. One of them, a 47-year-old resident of the village of Dachnoye, directed Russian airstrikes on Defense Forces locations in the Pokrovsk direction. The other, a 44-year-old resident of the village of Ilyinovka near Konstantinovka, helped Russian assault groups attack the combat positions of the defenders of Chasovy Yar.
09:46 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky made a statement on the third anniversary of the war. "The world did not believe that Ukraine would survive, but the Ukrainian people are worthily holding back the enemy's attacks. We defeated the Russian offensive group, pushed the invaders back from Kiev, liberated the north of Ukraine, the Kharkiv region and Kherson," the general said.
09:11 In the suburbs of Odessa on the night of February 24, debris from a Russian drone damaged port infrastructure, the glazing and roof of a private house, as well as cars. There were no casualties.
08:45 Over the past 24 hours, 96 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit three areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, five command posts and one UAV command post of the Russians.
08:34 President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ukrainians for their heroism on the occasion of the third anniversary of the start of full-scale Russian aggression.
"Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians. I am proud of Ukraine! Thank you to everyone who defends it and helps. To everyone who works for Ukraine. And eternal memory to everyone who gave their lives for our state and people," the head of state said.
08:26 On the night of February 24, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 185 Shahed-type attack drones and various types of drone imitators. The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 113 Russian drones, and another 71 UAVs were lost.
The enemy attack affected Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Kyiv, and Khmelnytskyi regions.
08:15 Rescuers have eliminated the consequences of the Russian attack in the Kyiv region. In the Brovarsky district, debris from an enemy drone hit an unfinished multi-story building. The debris caused a fire on the 23rd floor of the multi-story building.
Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire. The 51-year-old security guard of the housing complex suffered an acute stress reaction, and doctors provided him with the necessary assistance.
07:33 As of February 24, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 868,230 people (+1050 per day).
04:59 Drones attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery. The attack caused a major fire. This is the third attack on the Ryazan Oil Refinery since the beginning of the year.
03:56 Sweden will transfer air defense systems to Ukraine worth 1.2 billion kroner (about $113 million). We are talking about the Robot 70 and Tridon Mk2 systems. And as part of international cooperation, Sweden will transfer anti-aircraft missiles already in use in Ukraine, as well as anti-aircraft weapons that can be carried by individual soldiers.
What they were doing instead of the work the were paid for.
[Townhall] Two reporters with the Manhattan Institute have uncovered chats from staffers at the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency—and they weren’t talking about national security. It’s a horror show. There was apparently a secret transgender sex chatroom where, on government time, these agents would discuss castration, urination fetishes, and gangbangs. Chris Rufo and Hannah Grossman have more, but the chats were given a soft blessing apparently in support of—you guessed it—diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives [emphasis mine]:
We have cultivated sources within the National Security Agency—one current employee and one former employee—who have provided chat logs from the NSA’s Intelink messaging program. According to an NSA press official, “All NSA employees sign agreements stating that publishing non-mission related material on Intelink is a usage violation and will result in disciplinary action.” Nonetheless, these logs, dating back two years, are lurid, featuring wide-ranging discussions of sex, kink, polyamory, and castration.
A conflict is coming. These NSA chat logs suggest the presence of at least hundreds of gender activists within the intelligence services…
Then there’s this on X:
EXCLUSIVE: In a secret NSA chatroom, NSA, DNI, and SpaceCom officials claim that @TulsiGabbard is "fervently anti-queer," a "Russian agent," and a member of the MAGA "cult." These employees, including at least one "they/them," are attempting to undermine Gabbard from within. pic.twitter.com/Z5HGfdSx2Y
#5
Why would intel types be especially prone to such things, Whiskey Mike? Here we are, analyzing up a storm, and we’re perfectly normal. Aren’t they supposed to avoid doing things they can be blackmailed by the enemy for?
[IsraelTimes] Decision made as French-Palestinian legislator Rima Hassan is en route to Israel; she lands and returns to Brussels; has been questioned in France for allegedly supporting terrorism
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel barred European Parliament member Rima Hassan from entering the country on Monday, over her past comments encouraging boycotts and sanctions of Israel, and armed struggle against it.
Arbel gave the order at the recommendation of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, as Hassan was en route to Israel from Brussels to meet with Paleostinian Authority officials, as a member of a five-person European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... delegation.
Arbel issued a statement before Hassan landed at Ben Gurion Airport, claiming that she had "consistently worked to promote boycotts against Israel and made numerous public statements and social media posts" hostile to the country.
"Hassan will be returned to Brussels," he said.
Shortly after Hassan landed, an Interior Ministry official told The Times of Israel that the parliamentarian was awaiting a return flight. She indeed boarded such a plane and was back in Belgium by Monday evening. The delegation’s leader, Lynn Boylan, returned with her.
The incident occurred as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was in Brussels for meetings with EU leaders and the 27 foreign ministers from EU states.
Hassan has voiced support for armed struggle against Israel on social media, and has been summoned by French police for comments allegedly lauding terrorism.
The summons came at the heels of a complaint filed against her by the European Jewish Organization, a group of French Jewish lawyers dedicated to combatting antisemitism and anti-Israel boycott campaigns.
Elected to the European Parliament in 2024, Hassan was born to Paleostinian parents in Syria’s Neirab refugee camp. She immigrated to La Belle France at the age of 9 and obtained French citizenship as an adult.
The 32-year-old was trained as an attorney before entering parliamentary politics as part of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left La Belle France Unbowed party. She wrote her master’s thesis in international law on the question of apartheid, drawing legal comparisons between South Africa and Israel.
Hassan has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide for its 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... offensive following the Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel. In 2024, she called for a boycott of French TV channel TF1, after it broadcast an interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she participated in a protest outside the channel’s headquarters.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli welcomed the Interior Ministry’s move, saying that Israel was "not obligated to grant entry to any foreign official, including members of parliament, if they work to delegitimize or boycott the country."
"Israel will not grant legitimacy to those who seek its harm. We will continue to act against antisemitic and anti-Israel elements trying to exploit our democracy," he wrote on X.
[IsraelTimes] A delegation of European Union parliament members has canceled its trip to Jerusalem and Ramallah after Israel barred two lawmakers and two staffers from entering the country, the EU’s mission to the Palestinians tells The Times of Israel in a statement.
The Interior Ministry said earlier today that it had denied entry to EU MP Rima Hassan over her support for boycotts against Israel, but the Jerusalem-based EU mission tells The Times of Israel that the delegation’s leader MP Lynn Boylan
…an Irish Sinn Féin politician, with all that entails…
was also denied entry along with two other EU staffers accompanying the lawmakers.
While the Interior Ministry statement said that Hassan was banned over her public support for boycotting Israel, the EU mission says that Israeli authorities did not provide any reasons to any of the officials who were denied entry.
We can guess, though.
The three other MPs traveling with Boylan and Hassan were allowed into Israel, but they will return to Europe on the first flight tomorrow morning, as Boylan decided to cancel the delegation entirely, the EU mission says.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Although the US agenda is being deliberately cancelled from above, rearguard battles are still being fought.
A production about Jesus is being prepared, where the main role, that is, Jesus himself, will be played by a black bald lesbian. So to speak, they are challenging white cisgender scum and patriarchal foundations and blah-blah-blah...
If people want to waste their own money putting on shows with very limited appeal, who are we to stop them from bankrupting themselves for a stupid principle? The sooner they run out of money, the sooner they’ll have to stop, and then maybe the resulting poverty will teach them something useful. We just don’t want our government wasting tax money to undermine our culture.
It wasn't enough to have a black Anne Boleyn, a black Achilles, Black Snow White and other trash.
I would be interested to see attempts to make a similar movie about Muhammad with subsequent hide-and-seek from those who like to cut off heads... In Sweden, they just recently zeroed out a character who, with the complicity of the authorities, publicly burned Korans.
Of course, this is not about some kind of "fight against religion." The authors are simply consciously trying to expand the Overton window, although the political situation in the United States has already changed and this opus will most likely serve as another reason to strengthen the cleansing of the agenda in all forms and manifestations, especially where American budget money was or is being spent on it.
#2
They have to have Jesus be a hippie, which is what this article is about, casting for Jesus Christ Superstar.
Switching the main character with a gay chick is literally South Park. Trying to Own the Chuds is a played out trope; this is purposefully insulting and will transcend skin color/appearances.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces actively use drones in war.
About a third of Russian attacks are in the Pokrovsk direction. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling assaults in the areas of 11 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the day, 69 combat clashes have occurred on the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Monday, February 24.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, our defenders are repelling an enemy assault in the Volchansk area.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy carried out nine assaults near Petropavlovka and Zagryzovo. Six combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the invaders attacked four times near the settlements of Zelenaya Dolina, Borovskaya Andreyevka, and Novolyubovka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling one Russian attack near Stupochki.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked seven times near Toretsk and Krymsk. Three attacks are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the occupiers carried out 20 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Vodyanoye Vtoroye, Promin, Pokrovsk, Leontovichi, Kotlino, Udachnoye, Molodetskoye, Nadeyevka, Troitskoye, Andreyevka and Ulakli. The defense forces repelled 17 attacks, three clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy carried out 10 attacks near Constantinople and Burlatskoye. One combat clash continues to this day.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, our defenders repelled one attack near Novopol.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy attacked the village of Kamenskoye.
In the Dnieper direction, our troops repelled two enemy attacks towards the settlement of Sadovoe.
In the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, our troops repelled seven attacks by Russian invaders, one combat clash is still ongoing.
Earlier, the General Staff calculated Russia's losses over three years of war. In just one day on February 23, the Ukrainian Armed Forces "minus" about a thousand occupiers.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Officers of the UFSB of Russia for Kabardino-Balkaria
…a Russian republic in the North Caucasus. About 70% of the population is Moslem…
detained a 49-year-old resident of the village of Chegem Vtoroy, who is suspected of transferring almost 2 million rubles to terrorists abroad. This was reported by the department.
“According to available information, he transferred funds totaling over 1.9 million rubles
…at roughly a penny to a ruble, that’s about US$21,660…
in order to finance members of international terrorist structures hiding from law enforcement agencies outside the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
A criminal case has been opened against the detainee under Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Assistance to terrorist activity"). If his guilt is proven, he may be sentenced to imprisonment for up to 15 years.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in September 2024, FSB officers detained a man with radical religious views in Moscow. The investigation established that he transferred money to a person who had already been charged with assisting a terrorist organization. A criminal case was opened against the detainee under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Assistance to terrorist activity").
[X] Also Social Security number, US passport, all the government benefits… This is ugly.
🚨BREAKING: Whistleblower reveals she was encouraged to approve long-term disability for illegals, essentially securing lifetime Social Security benefits for each approval: pic.twitter.com/Etemct6Gdh
— DOGE NEWS- Department of Government Efficiency (@realdogeusa) February 23, 2025
#3
Hoping to save her ass, when,pre-doge, she just went along. Back then there was a hotline for such activities, now she is hooing the shark won’t eat her.
More despicable than musk.
(Cure the Blazing Saddles line”…..keep our phoney baloney jobs…)
#4
...remember how 'whistleblowers' have been treated in prior administrations was intended to encourage others to stay silent. Do we have any records of those administers who were unmercifully dealt with who retaliated?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] Early elections to the Bundestag have ended in Germany. The fate of the future government coalition could be decided by literally fractions of a percent.
The main attention was focused not even on the three undisputed leaders - the CDU/CSU, AfD and SPD, but on the outsiders of the electoral race, whose results radically influenced the final balance of power in the Bundestag.
Since neither the FDP (4.3%) nor the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) managed to overcome the five percent barrier, the votes cast for these political parties were effectively lost. This means that the lucky parties will now be able to count on a more optimal distribution of forces and a larger number of parliamentary mandates.
The most important thing is that in such a scenario, the CDU/CSU (28.5%) and the SPD (16.4%) will be able to form a two-party black-red coalition (which some sarcastic German political scientists have already managed to dub “Bandera-style” by analogy with the colors of the terrorist organization OUN, banned in Russia), without taking anyone else into their company.
ORGANIZATION OF THE PROCESS
The process of civic expression of will in Germany is organized as follows. Two weeks before the elections, the recipient receives a personal invitation to vote by mail, which must be brought to the polling station, receiving a ballot paper instead.
As an honest citizen, when he came to the elections, your correspondent handed the commission member both the invitation and the German passport. "We don't need it," the nice lady from the election commission responded in surprise. It became clear that the commission members did not even suspect that they were creating a huge space for political corruption!
Firstly, the invitation could have been given by third parties. In addition, it can be pulled out of someone else's mailbox. Finally, you can make a high-quality copy and use the original to vote early by mail, thus registering twice.
If during early voting at the city hall a code is read from the invitation, which gives a portrait of the voter, then there was no such equipment at the polling station.
You should have seen the eyes of the election committee members after they were given a crash course in dirty technologies. Saints in their simplicity are responsible for ensuring that the will of the German people is reflected in the new composition of the Bundestag.
SHADOW OF THE GDR
Absolutely all systemic political forces have already flatly refused to form a coalition with the AfD (20.8%), which showed a phenomenal result. At least until the next elections, the Alternative for Germany remains a pariah party, with which all systemic political forces have flatly refused to cooperate.
The AfD's phenomenal result is a strong warning sign for the political mainstream, but in practice the party will remain in opposition for the next four years.
Theoretically, if Donald Trump and Elon Musk do not weaken their support and make AfD's entry into German politics as a full-fledged player a condition for continued American support for Europe, another outcome is possible.
The party must split, distancing itself from the most odious radicals in its ranks, such as Björn Höcke. After that, the renewed AfD, having undergone the ritual of “purification,” could theoretically enter into an alliance with the CDU/CSU, forming a right-wing conservative bloc. But for now, this is an equation with many unknowns.
However, the AfD's nearly 21% in the federal elections and the territory of the former GDR, which was almost entirely painted in blue by the Alternative, primarily indicate the following: the voter in eastern Germany is aware that his voice is not heard in Berlin, and in the mainstream media the image of the "East German" is subject to the strongest stigmatization.
A resident of the former GDR, according to the German press, does not understand how democracy works and is generally a closet Nazi or communist. He simply does not realize his "happiness" from a free choice of two or more candidates. After all, a "good German" must believe what the media writes and vote only for the "right parties."
However, East Germans, unlike West Germans, have a developed national consciousness. This consciousness was not castrated as a result of the denazification policy. And the fact that many Germans grew up in the GDR means that they also have developed critical thinking and can read between the lines. In the West, people have largely lost this skill.
Over the next four years, Germany's division into East and West will only increase. An example of this is the phenomenal result of the AfD in Saxony, where it is gaining 38%.
The outstanding success of this party in the Bundestag elections is due to many factors. These include the acute problem of illegal migration in Germany, the economic difficulties caused by the amateurs from the "traffic light coalition", and the demand in German society for peace with Russia and the rejection of militaristic rhetoric.
However, the success of the Alternative for Germany is primarily the result of the protest vote of Germans. Many support this party not at all because they sympathize with the "radicals" or "right-wing extremists", as it is called in the media.
Voting for AfD is a form of political protest. A resounding "no!" to the systemic political parties that have opened the doors to terrorists in Germany and brought the country to recession and deindustrialization.
COALITION LAYOUTS
A coalition with Die Linke is acceptable for the SPD, with whom it has worked successfully for many years at the state level – for example, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, consistently forming a red-red regional government.
However, the Left is completely unacceptable for the CDU/CSU because it categorically refuses to support Ukraine and put the interests of Kyiv above the interests of its own voters and Germany as a whole.
The Green Party (11.6%), which discredited itself utterly during the last term, was a relatively acceptable but very undesirable option for both the CDU/CSU, with whom the Greens have radical differences on issues of nuclear energy and economic management, and for the SPD, whose leader Olaf Scholz has had his share of hard times with the Green partners within the framework of the “traffic light coalition.”
However, be that as it may, the two-party black-red bloc ultimately did not need the “green” “violinist”: there were enough votes to form a government and relatively effective coalition without them.
The Greens have lost 3% compared to the last election and are gradually losing the support of the youngest part of the German electorate. Whereas previously it was mainly young people who voted for them, now the core of their supporters is more likely to be middle-aged and middle-class people in western Germany.
Young people across the country are rapidly becoming radicalized, voting for AfD and Die Linke, forces that have established themselves on the edges of the political spectrum. If today's youth have not lost their passionate spirit by the next elections, and the younger generation of voters is no less radical, the electorate of the parties of the political center could suffer serious losses. Although it is definitely too early to talk about the funeral of the political center.
The "Left", which was practically written off six months ago, is gaining a phenomenal 8.8%. Political scientists disagree on what is behind the rapid rise of a political force that was floundering at the bottom of the electoral ratings less than six months ago.
Some are inclined to believe that it is all about the electoral feint of the CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz, who joined forces with the AfD on the migration bill, which alienated moderate voters from the CDU/CSU, throwing them into the arms of the Left. Others believe that the ranks of Die Linke were filled with dissenters from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (4.97%), who were disappointed in their idol.
Let us recall that Wagenknecht, who performed extremely successfully in the regional elections to the East German Landtags, abandoned a number of fundamental points of her election program for the sake of hypothetical entry into the government coalition. Some voters considered this a betrayal and returned to the "Left", from which, in fact, the "Alliance" had distanced itself at the time.
Wagenknecht's party was just 0.03% short of entering the Bundestag. Some voters in eastern Germany sadly joke that these less than 14,000 votes are the bitter price of betrayal.
#2
"which some sarcastic German political scientists have already managed to dub “Bandera-style"
Too bad he couldn't name "some" of those "political scientists". They just don't exist (at least mnot in Germany, maybe in Moscow) and not even one in thousand Germans would understand the "sarcasm".
Wagenknecht lost because she tried to parrot the AfD, with not much of a leftist twist. But had she passed the threshold of 5%, Mr Spitzen would have to face a coalition including the Greens, who are way more hawkish than the SPD when it comes to Ukraine. All Banderistas, of course, but no flag joke possible.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/25/2025 5:57
Comments ||
Top||
#3
🇩🇪‼️ Is this the quickest U-turn in political history?
After the CDU campaigned on strict immigration measures to take votes away from the AfD, chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz told a press conference the day after the election that "none of us want to close the borders."… pic.twitter.com/Ngxt98ag3r
#8
Just an ideological, not a technological difference.
Germany is in the middle of Europe (and the European market). If you wanted to stop and search every truck that enters Germany, economy would come to a screeching halt. Staff and installations aren't there either, right now.
While border control must be improved, it will not solve the problem, at least not in the near future.
What we need are disincentive measures. Denmark has been very successful with these. Bed, bread and soap in the middle of nowhere. The SPD will throw public hissy fits, but once the numbers are dropping sharply, the AfD will lose its major talking points. And they have nothing else to offer.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/25/2025 7:21
Comments ||
Top||
#9
but once the numbers are dropping sharply, the AfD will lose its major talking points.
Precisely. The promises need to be kept. Mourning after the next attack is not enough.
Söder actually made an even stronger statement, he said that "Zero tolerance and zero compromise" in "future migration policy" is the consensus betweent Merz and him. ("Null Toleranz und Null Kompromiss" ist die "Leitlinie für künftige Migrationspolitik."@0:03:00)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/25/2025 9:41
Comments ||
Top||
#14
^^^But they have no real interest in stopping illegal migration. No more interest in that than "closing the borders" or anything else the promised.
Known by its more informal name of gold fever...
[Regnum] Rospotrebnadzor is monitoring information about an outbreak of an unknown deadly disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was reported by the agency's press service.
So many ways to get sick and die in the heart of Africa, and many of them as yet unnamed.
Earlier it was reported that more than 50 people died from an unknown disease in the northwest of the DRC.
"Rospotrebnadzor specialists are monitoring information about the outbreak of an unknown disease in the DR Congo. The agency has a developed laboratory base and reference centers of leading scientific organizations, which allows for the rapid identification of risks and the necessary actions," the press service said.
The department also clarified that any case of suspected infectious disease is immediately transferred to Rospotrebnadzor.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 18, Rospotrebnadzor published statistics on acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) in Russia. Thus, over the week, the number of cases amounted to 7.7% - the total number of recorded cases reached 932 thousand. It is also noted that the average Russian rate of ARVI incidence was exceeded in 49 regions.
In addition, Rospotrebnadzor noted that in 30 Russian regions the number of hospitalizations increased by 30% compared to the previous week. In order to prevent the spread of infections, 267 schools were closed in 34 regions, in addition, 87 kindergartens and eight boarding schools were closed in 26 regions of the Federation.
[IsraelTimes] Moroccan authorities say they arrested a dozen people this month allegedly planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara Desert.
The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot” reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region.
Authorities do not provide details of the suspects’ motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They release photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country.
The images show weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash.
The revelation of the plot comes days after Morocco hosted Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev for a traffic safety conference. Regev cut her visit short last week after bombs exploded on empty buses near Tel Aviv Thursday.
“Morocco remains a major target in the agenda of all terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel,” Habboub Cherkaoui, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, says at a news conference.
Authorities say the Morocco-based cell called itself “the Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb”
Golly. I’m impressed…
and took direction from Islamic State in the Sahel commanders.
The weapons found include materials to make explosives including nail bombs, dynamite and gas cylinders as well as knives, rifles and handguns whose serial numbers had been filed off.
Investigators say the 12 men arrested ranged from 18 to 40 years old and were apprehended in nine different cities, including Casablanca, Fez and Tangier. The majority were unmarried and had not finished high school. They have not yet been charged under Morocco’s anti-terrorism laws.
Based on materials gathered in raids last week, authorities were able to locate a cache of weapons in the desert near Morocco’s border with Algeria, including firearms and ammunition wrapped in newspapers printed in Mali in late January.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] It became a natural consequence of the unresolved war in Donbass, which had been going on since 2014.
Thanks to the SVO, the Russian Federation, without any ifs and buts, has become a fully subjective sovereign country that makes its decisions without looking back at what they say abroad.
Those who did not believe in this could see this quite clearly after 02/24/2022, when several attempts to crush Russia by military, political, diplomatic, economic and terrorist means failed. And this is already one of the accomplished results of the SVO.
The Russian Federation stood firm and forced its opponents to talk to it on equal terms, although before the start of the SVO, the very possibility of this was completely denied.
At the same time, the tasks of achieving the goals of the SVO (expanded) have not been cancelled - it is still necessary to liberate the remaining territories of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, dislodge the enemy from the remaining territories of the Kursk region, increase territorial gains in the Kharkov region and, in the event of further prolongation of the war by the enemy (which is not excluded), proceed to the liberation of the Dnepropetrovsk and Sumy regions.
Yes, after 3 years, one can of course begin to regret that everything did not work out quickly and beautifully due to various miscalculations and shortcomings, but in principle, back in early March it was already clear that it would not be fast and beautiful. If you can’t win beautifully, just win. This is exactly what we have been doing for the last three years, having noticeably advanced towards achieving our goals, where we are opposed not by a spherical Ukraine in a vacuum, but by a proxy army of the West supported 24/7 by the USA and dozens of their satellites.
And at the moment we are coping and continue to advance. Yes, not everything is going smoothly, but this is a war where our enemy is by no means weak. And while the war is not over, we all have to do our job to the hilt at the front and in the rear, so that when it is all over, we will not be ashamed of what we have been doing for the last 3+ years. And by bringing the matter to an end, we will solve one of the most important tasks of our generation for Russia.
1. DPR (the main demand for 20202). About 75% liberated.
2. LPR (the main demand for 2022). About 99.5% liberated.
3. Kherson region (additional demand for 2024). About 75% liberated.
4. Zaporizhia region (additional demand for 2024). About 75% liberated.
5. Kharkiv region (not included in the demands). About 8% liberated.
6. Kursk region (not included in the demands). About 4% not liberated.
7. Demilitarization of Ukraine (the main demand). Goal not achieved.
8. Denazification of Ukraine (the main demand). Goal not achieved.
9. Neutralization of Ukraine and refusal to join NATO (the main demand). Goal not achieved.
10. Stopping the oppression of Russians and Russian-speakers in Ukraine (the main demand). The goal has not been achieved.
11. Ukraine recognizing Crimea and four regions as Russian (additional demand). The goal has not been achieved.
12. Lifting sanctions in Russia (additional demand). The goal has not been achieved.
The main achievements in the 3rd year of the war were mainly related to expanding territorial control and increasing the percentage of basic territorial demands. Some of the goals that are listed as unfulfilled can only be achieved following the completion of military operations and the corresponding diplomatic agreements. In fact, the parameters for achieving them are being and will be discussed in negotiations with the United States.
[IsraelTimes] Two suspects who allegedly slipped across the border from Jordan were detained by Israeli forces following a search, the army says.
The two suspects, who were detained near the border, “were turned over to be dealt with [by] security forces,” the Israel Defense Force says in a statement.
The army said shortly after midnight that it had launched a manhunt in the Dead Sea area after footsteps were found on the border with Jordan.
[NBCnews] Grammy award-winning singer Roberta Flack, who crooned hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” has died, a representative confirmed to NBC News.
She was 88.
In November 2022, a representative announced that Flack had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.
The progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said in a news release.
In a statement on Monday, representatives for Flack said they are "heartbroken" by her passing.
"She died peacefully surrounded by her family," Koga and Mikel Gilmore said in the statement. "Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator."
Flack was born Feb. 10, 1937, in North Carolina. The daughter of a church organist, Flack began playing classical piano at a young age.
[IsraelTimes] The hostage-release ceremonies that Hamas has been holding throughout the first phase of the ceasefire have significantly harmed the terror group’s chances to remain in power in Gaza, two international diplomats tell The Times of Israel.
Hamas has sought to use the ceremonies to demonstrate that it remains in control of the coastal enclave after over 15 months of war with Israel. Israel and others have rejected the displays as “humiliating” and demanded they stop before any more prisoners are released in exchange for hostages.
A senior Arab diplomat and a senior European Union diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity say that the performances have led the Trump administration to massively ratchet up its pressure on its Arab allies to advance a plan for the post-war management of Gaza that sees Hamas removed from power.
“This was something that the Arab states wanted before but were resigned to the fact that it wasn’t possible, given that Israel had tried to defeat Hamas for over a year and couldn’t succeed,” the EU diplomat says.
“Hamas has been sending signals that it is prepared to give up ruling Gaza. Giving up its weapons will be far more difficult, but that is being discussed in the region in recent weeks,” the senior Arab diplomat adds.
- 66% say Democrats should take a wait-and-see approach to Trump's actions. - 66% say Democrats should join the mission to cut government waste. - 52% say Democrats deliberately kept the border open for illegal aliens. - 70% say hiring should be based… pic.twitter.com/l01Yk5ld0J
#2
I wish Rantburg headlines would start with the country (particularly for places not commonly/immediately recognized in the west) E.g. "Nigeria: 7 killed, 6 injured as cocoa" etc.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] French actor Gerard Depardieu, who holds Russian citizenship, has become the subject of an investigation in France into aggravated tax fraud. This was reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) agency, citing a source familiar with the investigation.
"Gérard Depardieu has been the subject of an investigation into aggravated tax fraud and money laundering since February 2024. He is suspected of having fictitious residence in Belgium since 2013," the file states.
As part of the investigation initiated by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office, searches were carried out in mid-February 2025 in Paris, as well as in the Maine-et-Loire departments and in Belgium.
In 2024, the Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation against the actor on charges of sexual assault. 50 famous French cultural figures, including actor Pierre Richard and model Carla Bruni, spoke out in support of Depardieu. The hearing on this case is scheduled for March 2025.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in April 2023 it became known that 13 women accused Gerard Depardieu of sexual assault. These testimonies were published by the French website Mediapart. It was indicated that the incidents could have taken place between 2004 and 2022, and the victims were the actor's co-stars.
Depardieu has categorically denied all accusations against him throughout this time.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An agreement has been reached on the return of residents of the Kursk region in Sumy through the territory of Belarus to Russia, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova reported on February 24.
The location of these people has been established, Moskalkova said at a meeting of the presidium of the United Russia faction in the State Duma.
“There is an agreement with the Red Cross and with the Ukrainian side that they will be evacuated through Belarus to Russia,” the ombudsman said.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador for Special Assignments on Crimes of the Kiev Regime Rodion Miroshnik previously noted that Russia is working on the issue of evacuating residents of the Kursk region who were taken to Sumy after the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strike on the boarding school in Sudzha. This concerns dozens of citizens, he noted.
Residents of the Kursk region, released from Ukrainian captivity during the exchange, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers deprived them of water and food, including for careless words, Miroshnik reported earlier. At the same time, people were under the supervision of the International Red Cross and other human rights organizations, so the Ukrainian side tried to be more careful with the captives, the diplomat specified.
On January 11, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the search for 1,174 residents of the Kursk region who had gone missing since August 2024. Information about 240 of them has already been received. On February 18, a register of missing border residents began operating in the Kursk region.
The president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that the authorities are doing everything possible to return the residents of the Kursk region taken to Ukraine. He emphasized that such agreements are the result of very difficult negotiations.
An explosion has reportedly struck the Russian consulate in Marseille, La Belle France, triggering a massive emergency response as firefighters battled a blaze inside the diplomatic building.
UK Mirror reports that the earth-shattering kaboom occurred on Monday within the consulate premises, prompting an immediate lockdown.
Special police forces and soldiers quickly moved to secure the area, ensuring the safety of personnel and residents in the vicinity.
According to local reports, Russian Consul General confirmed that the blast originated inside the consulate, with firefighters rushing in to contain the fire. By 9:30 a.m., approximately 30 emergency workers were engaged in firefighting and rescue efforts.
The explosion comes on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and coincides with French President Emmanuel Macron’s emergency visit to Washington, D.C., where he is set to discuss the ongoing war with U.S. President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... Russia’s state-run news agency ...and if you can't trust the state-run news agency who can you believe?... TASS reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry has described the earth-shattering kaboom as having the characteristics of a "terrorist attack" and has urged French authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
Photos and videos from the scene showed emergency services lined up outside the consulate, with thick smoke billowing from the building.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also demanded a thorough investigation from French authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11145 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Sacré bleu, it's another 1812! Actual scene per France 24:
[IsraelTimes] Report says terror group could transfer bodies to Egypt to be ID’d before inmates set free in two groups, as official warns ceasefire on ‘brink of collapse’ if logjam persists
The Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group was reportedly considering a deal Monday to transfer the bodies of two slain hostages to Egypt in exchange for hundreds of prisoners previously slated for release, as international mediators sought to salvage a fraying ceasefire deal 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... Israel says it is holding onto 602 Paleostinian inmates who had been scheduled to be freed Saturday until Hamas halts the practice of holding elaborate, propaganda-filled ceremonies when releasing hostages or transferring the bodies of those slain in captivity.
The decision, announced early Sunday, has set off a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at keeping the ceasefire alive, with the crisis compounding worries that negotiators will fail to secure an agreement on extending the ceasefire beyond an early March deadline and into a second phase of hostage releases.
A senior Israeli official was quoted by the Walla news site warning that the entire hostage-ceasefire deal is on "the brink of collapse," if the current impasse is not bridged by Thursday.
Under the current deal, Hamas is scheduled to transfer the bodies of four hostages killed in captivity Thursday, marking the final hostage-prisoner exchange of the first stage of the agreement, which began on January 19.
However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat... a Channel 12 news report Monday indicated that mediators are working on a formula that could see Hamas transfer two of the bodies to Egypt as early as Tuesday, in exchange for 301 of the prisoners from the Saturday release.
Should the formula work, the process would then be repeated for the two other hostages and the remaining 301 prisoners, according to the unsourced report.
By going through Egypt, Israel hopes the transfers will take place quietly, amid palpable anger and disgust over staged ceremonies put on by Hamas in Gaza in which hostages are forced to feign appreciation for their captors in front of crowds of Gazooks before being handed over to the Red Thingy.
Israel had been slated to release the 602 prisoners on Saturday, including dozens serving multiple life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis, in exchange for six living hostages, including two who had been held in Gaza for around a decade.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided late Saturday night to postpone the release of the inmates, accusing Hamas of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and saying the prisoners would only be released once Israel receives a promise that ceremonies "demeaning our hostages’ dignity" come to an end.
According to the senior Israeli official quoted by Walla, Hamas has since agreed to transfer the bodies of the four hostages on Thursday without any fanfare.
But despite appearing to meet Netanyahu’s demands, the premier responded by stiffening the ultimatum, informing mediators that a commitment from the terror group is insufficient and that the prisoners will only be let out once Israel receives the hostages and verifies their identity, the source said.
Israel has insisted on verifying that the released remains are indeed whom they expect to receive, after Hamas last week sent a Gazook woman’s body in place of Shiri Bibas’s remains. It eventually gave Israel the murdered hostage’s remains.
The Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the Walla report as "more fake news from the echoes of Hamas propaganda."
"Through his aggressive stance, the prime minister has already returned 192 hostages and he is determined to return them all," the PMO added.
HAMAS DENIES ANY TALKS WITH ISRAEL
Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported earlier Monday that negotiations between Israel and Hamas were progressing and could lead to the handover of two hostages’ bodies within hours. Hamas denied the Saudi news reports however, doubling down on its official boycott of talks with Israel through mediators.
In a statement on Telegram, Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi demanded that Israel implement the ceasefire agreement by "releasing the 600 Paleostinian prisoners" who were supposed to be freed on Saturday, and said the terror group had not changed its stance regarding continued negotiations.
The three-stage ceasefire agreement, reached last month, halted some 15 months of fighting triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, when Hamas-led invading hard boyz killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
The deal requires Hamas to gradually release all its hostages, Israel to release thousands of Paleostinian security prisoners in return, and both sides to halt fighting in the Strip, as the sides negotiate for a "sustainable calm" and the IDF withdraws gradually from the enclave. With the first phase of the deal set to end this coming Saturday, negotiations are ongoing for the second phase.
Israeli officials have repeatedly stated in recent days that there are battle plans ready should the war resume. But Gal Hirsch, the government’s liaison with relatives of hostages, indicated in a meeting with the families Monday that Israel was still attempting to negotiate an agreement to extend the deal to phase two.
"We’re trying to continue the phased releases to bring back living hostages, and the dead," he was quoted saying by Channel 12.
Hirsch also reportedly told the families that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close Netanyahu loyalist, was heading up negotiations, alongside himself. Previous rounds were negotiated by a team headed by Mosssd ...... chief David Barnea and Shin Bet counterpart Ronen Bar.
According to the Kan public broadcaster on Monday, Israel is currently seeking to extend the current, first phase of the deal — repeating the framework of 42 days, with a hostage release each week — without committing to end the war. According to an Israeli official, negotiations for phase two would continue during this extended phase one.
However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat... Egypt, which has served as a key mediator, has refused to discuss an extension of phase one until negotiations over phase two begin, according to two Egyptian officials who were not authorized to brief news hounds and spoke on condition of anonymity.
One official familiar with the negotiations said the mere launch of phase two talks would keep the truce intact, according to the language of the deal. That would mean a continued halt in fighting and aid flowing into Gaza, though there would be no further hostage releases beyond what has already been negotiated, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered... to discuss closed diplomatic contacts.
Hamas has previously said it is open to a short extension to complete talks on phase two, but that was before Israel held up the release of the prisoners.
One of the Egyptian officials said Egypt is also demanding Israel complete its withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, before moving on to the next phase. The agreement calls for that withdrawal to begin this weekend and be completed within eight days.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Daniil Zhuravlev
[REGNUM] The first half of the 20th century became the peak of the era of industrialization, imperialism and bloody geopolitics. Late modernism was a cemetery not only for millions of destinies, hopes and ideas, but also for entire empires. The geopolitical conflict between the Russian and Japanese empires in East Asia unfolded in the spirit of the times.
The Battle of Mukden, which took place 120 years ago, in February-March 1905, became one of the bloodiest and largest battles of the Russo-Japanese War. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers clashed in a deadly fight, incinerated by artillery fire, drowning in the mud of the Manchurian hills.
The victory of the Japanese army in the battle predetermined the outcome of the war, leaving a bitter aftertaste of defeat in the hearts of Russians, which would only be avenged in World War II. However, even in this hell, among the groans of shells and the wounded, beauty was born.
MUKDEN MEAT GRINDER
The conflict between Russia and Japan had been brewing for a long time, rooted in a clash of imperial ambitions in the Far East. Russia sought to strengthen its position in the region by acquiring concessions and leasing ports.
The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) only added fuel to the fire, raising concerns in Japan, which saw it as a threat to its own sphere of influence in Korea and Manchuria. Diplomatic attempts to resolve the contradictions failed, and war became inevitable.
The start of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 was marked by a series of defeats for Russia. The Japanese fleet dominated the sea, blockading Port Arthur, while the land forces won victories in battles on the continent. The fall of Port Arthur was a painful blow to the prestige of the Russian Empire, and hopes for a turning point were pinned on a large-scale battle in Manchuria. This battle was to be the Battle of Mukden (now Shenyang).
The battle, which lasted for several weeks, was a complex series of battles that took place over a vast area. More than half a million soldiers participated in the battle on both sides. The Russian army, under the command of General Alexei Kuropatkin, took up defensive positions around the city. The Japanese army, under the command of Field Marshal Oyama Iwao, sought to encircle and defeat the Russian forces.
Positional warfare with trenches, artillery bombardment and futile attacks turned into a real meat grinder. Despite the desperate resistance of the Russian army, strategic miscalculations of the command (for example, Kuropatkin's too late order to regroup), an extended line of defense, weak artillery support, outdated technology, poor supplies, corruption - all this led to a catastrophe that later spread to all of Russia in the form of the first Russian revolution.
“We owe our defeat not at all to the Japanese, whose attacks were always repelled by our valiant troops with enormous losses for them; this defeat occurred only as a result of the extreme incompetence of commanders at all levels and the extreme stupidity of all orders,” this is how Mukden participant Pyotr Bazhenov explained the defeat.
The Japanese army managed to break through the defense and encircle part of the Russian troops. General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat, which quickly turned into a chaotic flight.
"It wasn't even a retreat, it was real panic. People were disoriented, they didn't understand which side was friend and which was enemy. Frightened horses were running everywhere, having thrown off their riders, there were broken carts and boxes everywhere," recalled one of the main leaders of the White movement, General Anton Denikin, who participated in the battle with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The tragedy exposed the abscess of serious problems in Russia that required immediate solutions, because nine years later the last terrible war for Tsarist Russia would begin. Later, the Soviet Union would correct the Manchurian mistakes.
RUSSIAN FLOWER ON THE CRIMSON HILLS
Meanwhile, music was being born at the front that became a symbol of the unbending spirit of Russian soldiers. The waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria", written by composer Ilya Shatrov, became a requiem for those who died in the destructive war - a harbinger of fate.
Shatrov was the bandmaster of the 214th Mokshansky Regiment. In February 1905, the regiment found itself in the epicenter of bloody battles; for ten days, the Mokshans courageously fought off the onslaught of Japanese troops, holding the line at the railroad. But the forces were unequal, and ammunition ran out. At a critical moment, when hope seemed to have faded, the regiment commander, Colonel Pavel Pobyvanets, made a desperate decision: "Flag and orchestra - forward!"
At this dramatic moment, the bandmaster, inspired by the courage of his comrades, addressed his musicians: "Musicians, our time has come!" The battle march thundered, the orchestra moved forward after Ilya Alekseevich. And, inspired by the bravery of the musicians, the soldiers also rose up in a bayonet attack.
The music continued incessantly, drowning out the rumble of howitzers and the whistle of bullets. Suddenly, an enemy artillery shell exploded nearby, ending the life of one of the musicians and throwing Shatrov aside by the blast wave. But despite the injury and the chaos around him, he rose again, gathered the surviving musicians and led them forward.
Thanks to this incredible courage and selflessness, the Mokshansky Regiment, inspired by music and the example of their bandmaster, broke through the encirclement and reached their own, although they suffered heavy losses. Soon after this heroic breakthrough, the commander died. Before the war, the regiment included 49 officers, 3,854 privates and non-commissioned officers, 11 mounted orderlies and 61 musicians, of which about 700 people remained, including only seven from the orchestra.
After the end of the war, the regiment was redeployed to Samara, where the composer began writing his masterpiece, originally called "The Mokshan Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria", into which he put all his grief for his fallen comrades, for the catastrophe of Russia and, despite all the troubles, hopes for a bright future for the Motherland. These are the lines that ended the pre-revolutionary poems to music written by Stepan Skitalets:
"Peace to your soul! You died for Rus', for the Fatherland. But believe me, we will still avenge you. And we will hold a bloody funeral feast!"
The composition was first published in 1907, and by 1911 it had already been republished 82 times, and then it acquired the name we are accustomed to, “On the Hills of Manchuria.”
The work, which reflected the feelings of not only the returning front-line soldiers, but also all of Russia, immediately gained enormous popularity. People wanted retribution for the dead and the disgraced Fatherland, and radical changes in the political and social structure.
REVIVAL OF MEMORY
The fate of the waltz after the Russo-Japanese War was not easy. In the first years of Soviet power, it fell into disgrace. The Bolsheviks, trying to eradicate everything that reminded of Tsarist Russia, considered the requiem to be White Guard and too Great Russian, so it was effectively banned from performance and broadcast, and removed from the repertoires of concert halls and radio stations, although the musician himself continued to serve as a bandmaster in the ranks of the Red Army.
While the composition was anathema in Soviet Russia, it enjoyed great popularity in the rest of the world. Abroad, it was known as the Russian National Waltz and was performed at concerts, balls, and restaurants.
However, with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the situation changed dramatically. When the country found itself in mortal danger, the Soviet leadership realized the need to revive the patriotic feelings of the Russian people, it began to understand that a Russian soldier goes to fight not for a political instructor and the Communist Party, but for his land, for his Motherland (Shatrov wanted to get to the front, but by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was discharged into the reserve due to age).
The country began to remember the heroes of the past, the national history, dedicating films, music, and posters to them. The waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria" was revived, although not in the critical first years of the war, but it was during the Great Patriotic War that it found new life.
During the Red Army's victories over the Kwantung Army during the Manchurian Operation, Shatrov's brainchild began to sound on the radio stations as never before, and the poems of Soviet front-line soldiers were once again written to music. The Russians triumphantly entered the lands of the Japanese-occupied puppet Manchukuo, the Russian boot once again stepped onto the lands of the "Three Eastern Provinces", but now Russia was not fighting its way out of bloody encirclements, but was conducting a brilliant offensive operation.
After the end of the war, the waltz finally returned to Soviet culture. It became a symbol of victory over Japanese imperialism, a reminder of the heroism of Soviet and imperial soldiers, and was played at parades, in films, and performed at concerts throughout the country.
Shatrov, a genius and a sincere patriot, created a magical chronotope: at the beginning of the 20th century, in the era of unrest and bloody defeats in the vast expanses of the Far East, the idea of music was born, which 40 years later in the same place would become the anthem of the victors of the Manchurian operation. It is paradoxical how the best creations of culture are born in the bloodiest and most difficult times, such moments become the soil and fuel for the history of civilizations. Russia avenged the fallen heroes and did not lose hope for the best.
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.
...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 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",....jpg)
[AE] 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
......
