[IsraelTimes] Dublin says ICJ ruling against Israeli presence in West Bank and Gaza might free it from obligations to European Union trade policy that prevented same legislation passing in 2018.
[IsraelTimes] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top aides sidestepped US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm... ’s request during a meeting Tuesday to publicly clarify that Israel is not seeking to lay siege to northern Gazoo, a US official tells The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer insisted during the meeting that Israel is not implementing the so-called General’s Plan aimed at isolating northern Gaza and argued that claims to the contrary have been detrimental to Israel’s public image, the US official says.
Blinken urged Netanyahu to clarify this publicly, but he and his aides demurred, the official adds.
The back-and-forth highlighted a long-held US frustration with the Israeli premier, who Washington feels offers private assurances that he knows the US wants to hear while failing to follow through in public due to fear of alienating the far-right coalition partners he relies on to remain in power.
[IsraelTimes] Ex-head of Revolutionary Guard’s counterintelligence charged in updated indictment against suspects accused of trying to abduct and kill Masih Alinejad; defendants are in Iran
The United States has issued fresh charges over an attempted Tehran plot to kidnap and assassinate an Iranian-American journalist in New York, and has indicted an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official among others in the case, according to a court document on Tuesday.
Ruhollah Bazghandi and three other men were charged in the updated indictment against those accused of trying to abduct and kill Masih Alinejad.
The Iranian opposition activist and journalist has been living in exile in New York City. Her identity is not in court papers, but she confirmed to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that she was the intended target.
Bazghandi and the other newly-charged suspects are based in 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... and remain on the lam, prosecutors said.
They said that Bazghandi’s internet activity, as well as that of the three other individuals whose names were unsealed on Tuesday, pointed to their involvement in multiple liquidation plots.
"Today’s indictment exposes the full extent of Iran’s plot to silence an American journalist for criticizing the Iranian regime," said US Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray.
US prosecutors have previously charged other suspects in the case, including Khalid Mehdiyev, who was arrested for having a rifle outside Alinejad’s Brooklyn home, and Rafat Amirov. Both are in US custody and have pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." to murder-for-hire charges.
Alinejad fled Iran following the country’s disputed 2009 presidential election and went on to study in Britannia before joining the staff of the US-government-backed Voice of America’s Persian-language service.
The plot against the dissident journalist came to light in 2021 when the US Department of Justice unveiled charges against four Iranian intelligence agents, who allegedly planned to kidnap her from her Brooklyn home and smuggle her back to Iran.
She said at the time that FBI agents had warned her she was being watched, and that her home was not safe. The agents showed her intimate photographs of her Brooklyn home and of her family that they said were taken by an investigator doing surveillance for the Iranians.
Bazghandi, who was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, is described in court papers as a brigadier general who previously served as chief of the IRGC’s counterintelligence department.
In October 2017, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a wing of the US Department of Treasury, designated the IRGC as a global terrorist group, saying it has played a key role in supporting Iran’s involvement in international terrorism.
In April 2023, the office said Bazghandi was involved in liquidation plots against journalists, Israeli citizens and others deemed enemies of Iran, along with his participation in the detention of foreign prisoners held in Iran and involvement in operations in Syria by the Revolutionary Guard’s counterintelligence department, the indictment noted.
Bazghandi was allegedly behind an attempt to assassinate a former Israeli consul general, as well as three Israeli tourists, in Istanbul in June 2022.
[IsraelTimes] George Washington University study lays bare the Islamic Republic’s ‘tragicomic’ alliances with criminal gangs to kill dissidents and US officials, including former President Trump.
[IsraelTimes] Israel’s COGAT military agency in charge of humanitarian aid says it facilitated the entry of 237 aid trucks into northern Gaza since October 14.
Before that, no aid was allowed into northern Gaza for a full two-week period, leading aid groups to sound alarm over the dangerous conditions in northern Gaza where several hundred Palestinians are believed to still reside. The Biden administration also issued a letter warning that Israel’s continued receipt of offensive US weapons was at risk if Jerusalem didn’t take massive steps to address the humanitarian crisis.
The two-week halt on aid into northern Gaza led to reports that Israel was implementing the so-called “General’s Plan” to lay siege to northern Gaza. The IDF denied this, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to do the same, and a former deputy chief of the National Security Council accused the security cabinet of having secretly approved the controversial proposal, which he called a “war crime.”
COGAT in a statement notes that it began surging aid into northern Gaza on October 14 following a directive from the political echelon.
Whether this directive was due to international pushback over Israel’s alleged implementation of the General’s Plan remains unclear.
COGAT says the 237 trucks that have entered Gaza over the past nine days have included “food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment from Jordan and the international community.”
The aid was transferred to the northern Gaza Strip via the Allenby Crossing and Ashdod Port to the “Erez West” between Israel and Gaza after undergoing security checks.
“The IDF, via COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law to facilitate and ease the humanitarian response to the Gaza Strip,” COGAT says.
The Enemy From Within: It’s being reported the leaker of classified documents identifying Israeli targets against Iran is Ariana Tabatabai, an American of Iranian origin and the Chief of Staff of the Pentagon Counterterrorism Office! This is a member of Biden and Kamala’s… pic.twitter.com/NuJdRslskj
#2
Resulting in the convenient aborting of the planned Israeli strike target folder. Element of surprise scuttled. Strike unlikely to happend prior to the election, or the Trump inauguration.
#16
Surprisingly, to some at least, the domination of those who feel so strongly that no law or established check and balance applies has given way to outright spying.
#17
Ref #14 above-once Trump takes office someone needs to lockdown the Adjudication files for every one of the Biden Administration TS/SCI-Single Scope-SBI's. The investigative leads to the Iranian penetrations are all found therein.
[IsraelTimes] Cpl. Shai Gilboa photographed providing medical assistance to a Palestinian woman injured in the face by Hamas gunfire while trying to get to a designated safe zone
Civilians 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... are being shot by Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... holy warriors while trying to evacuate from Jabaliya in the north of the Strip amid a renewed IDF offensive, an Israeli paramedic charged in an interview Monday, after she was photographed providing medical treatment to a Paleostinian woman suffering from wounds to the face.
Cpl. Shai Gilboa, who is serving as a paramedic in the IDF’s 9th Battalion, told Channel 12 that a photograph of her tending to a woman with an injury on her lower face was the result of Hamas’s attempts to prevent civilians from heeding Israeli orders to evacuate to designated safe zones as fighting rages anew across northern Gaza.
"Our battalion went into action to exert as much military pressure as possible on Hamas terrorists, who held the civilian population in the area and forbade them from evacuating to a safe area," Gilboa recounted.
During the operation, she said, holy warriors in the area had opened fire and maimed some of the Gazooks who were trying to flee.
"The maimed came to us and we provided them with first aid in the field, which mostly entailed stopping the bleeding," she said.
From there, she explained, they were evacuated from the area and directed toward "local medical forces" in the area for further treatment.
She said that while her battalion’s primary objective is to "fight against and subdue" Hamas activity in northern Gaza, they are also determined to evacuate as much of the civilian population to safety as possible.
Asked whether the civilians speak to the troops, and what the relationship is between the Israeli forces and the Paleostinians in the war-torn areas they are sent to operate in, Gilboa admitted that the language barrier was one of several reasons that interactions tended to be limited.
"But they smile at us, they wave goodbye at us," she said, "they curse Hamas in front of us."
"Not only are they not afraid of us, a lot of them are on our side," she added.
The IDF said earlier this week that hundreds of Paleostinian civilians have listened to calls for them to evacuate Jabaliya in recent days amid a renewed IDF offensive aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping in the area.
The evacuations were taking place despite the Hamas-run interior ministry ordering civilians earlier this month to ignore the instructions to relocate to other safer areas in the Strip, because "the occupation is conducting continued bombing and killing every day in the areas it claims to be safe."
The terror organization further accused Israel of carrying out an intentional "massacre against the civilians" in Jabaliya as a way to punish them for refusing to leave their homes.
Reports of Hamas harming civilians trying to flee to safer areas of Gaza are not new, and the IDF has for years accused the terror group of using human shields and embedding its operatives deep within the civilian population to protect itself amid fighting with Israel, and says that it seeks to avoid civilian casualties.
According to a joint IDF and Shin Bet statement, the command post embedded within the Abu Hussein School was being used by the terror operatives to plan and carry out attacks against Israel and troops in Gaza.
The IDF and Shin Bet name 18 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad killed in the strike.
Palestinian media reported 24 dead and 150 wounded in the strike.
The statement says the operatives were behind rocket fire on Israel, and were planning additional attacks in recent days. The army says it worked to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
IDF: 3 Hezbollah regional unit commanders killed in airstrikes in recent days
[IsraelTimes] Three Hezbollah regional unit commanders were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past two days, the IDF says. According to the military, strikes carried out by fighter jets in the previous 48 hours targeted and killed the commanders of Hezbollah’s Jibchit, Jouaiyya and Qana areas. The commanders were responsible for rocket and missile fire on Israeli towns from their respective areas, the IDF says.
Meanwhile, in the past day alone, the military says that some 70 Hezbollah operatives were killed in airstrikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon. Troops also located and destroyed tunnels and caches of weapons, the IDF adds.
Dozens of terror suspects detained in northern Gaza, says IDF
[IsraelTimes] Dozens of suspected terror operatives have been detained by Israeli troops amid an ongoing operation in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, the IDF says. The suspects were detained as the army ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate the area, where heavy fighting is taking place.
In the past day, the IDF says troops killed numerous gunmen and seized weapons during the operation in Jabaliya.
#1
For Hamas such behavior is legitimate and no reason to feel shame.
Hamas and other theocratic totalitarians are not formally committed to the survival or the welfare of even a part of the population under their control, unlike the big totalitarian movements of the 20th century.
Humans are slaves and tools of Allah and Hamas are the enforcers of Allah's will. They are for Allah to use as he sees fit.
[IsraelTimes] A million Israelis spend an hour in shelters as IDF chases UAV; Beirut hospital tries to prove no Hezbollah cash bunker is inside, as army gives directions to hard-to-find bunker
Two Israeli reservists were killed and three others were maimed on Tuesday, as the Israeli military battled Hezbollah in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... and the Iran-backed terror group fired dozens of projectiles at north Israel, with a drone infiltration sending a million people to bomb shelters for an hour.
One of the slain soldiers — named as Maj. (res.) Aviram Hariv, 42, the deputy commander of the Alon Brigade’s 9308th Battalion, from Dolev — was killed during fighting in southern Lebanon.
Another — named as Master Sgt. (res.) Saar Eliad Navarsky, 27, of the 7338th "Adirim" Artillery Regiment’s 508th Battalion, from Tel Aviv — was killed in a rocket barrage on northern Israel.
Three other soldiers of the artillery battalion were seriously maimed in the rocket barrage, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Ten rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Neot Mordechai area in the Galilee Panhandle amid the attack.
In the afternoon, a separate barrage of some 30 rockets was launched from Lebanon at the Upper and Western Galilee, the IDF said.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said glass shards lightly injured a 32-year-old man. He was taken to a hospital.
The military said some rockets were intercepted, and impacts were identified in the area.
Hezbollah fired at least 65 rockets at Israel on Tuesday, including at central Israel in the morning.
In the evening, sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sounded along Israel’s northern coast, sending around a million Israelis into shelters. The IDF Home Front Command said the incident ended after over an hour.
The IDF said the drone was launched from Lebanon and likely impacted an open area, although it hadn’t located it.
According to the military, the drone was first spotted near Rosh Hanikra, and it was tracked as it flew toward the Yokne’am area, amid attempts to intercept it.
From there, the Israeli Air Force lost contact with the drone, but the Home Front Command continued to activate sirens in several towns based on the predicted south-bound route of the drone, including in Haifa and the Krayot area and as far south as Zichron Yaakov and Harish.
Hezbollah later claimed it launched attack drones at an Israeli military base south of the coastal city of Haifa, with the group also saying it fired on a total of five Israeli tanks inside Lebanese territory and two across the border in Israel’s north.
There was no Israeli confirmation of such attacks.
JOURNALISTS TOUR BEIRUT HOSPITAL ALLEGEDLY HIDING HEZBOLLAH BUNKER
Also Tuesday, the Lebanese Sahel Hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs opened its doors to journalists for an unrestricted tour after the IDF claimed that a Hezbollah cash bunker is located beneath it.
The IDF had ordered that the hospital be evacuated Monday night along with other sites across Beirut that wound up being struck during a series of air raids.
Journalists who toured Sahel said they saw no evidence of a Hezbollah cash bunker.
But the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson issued a tweet addressed to those touring Sahel hospital, offering specific directions for where the bunker is located, "according to the information available to us."
"We would like to emphasize that the entrance may be hidden using various means that may make it difficult to find," the spokesperson added.
2024
Meanwhile,
...back at the barn, Bossy was furiously chewing her cud and thinking... the Israeli fighter jets continued to pursue Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, striking around a dozen command rooms near Tyre, the military said.
The IDF said some of the command rooms belonged to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Israel accused Hezbollah of placing its command centers and other infrastructure within civilian areas of Lebanon.
The IDF said it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including using precision munitions and issuing evacuation warnings in advance.
The IDF also released drone footage showing members of the Radwan Force being targeted in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in southern Lebanon.
Using a drone, soldiers of the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade spotted the two operatives, who were seen armed with an RPG and an assault rifle. The soldiers returned fire, hitting the Radwan members.
The paratroopers then directed an airstrike against the building where the operatives were holed up, killing them, the IDF said.
Additionally, Lebanon’s health ministry said Tuesday that at least 18 people had been killed in an Israeli strike near the Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon’s biggest public health facility, located a few kilometers from the city center.
The IDF said early Tuesday that it did not target the hospital but, rather, struck a Hezbollah terror target.
The United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was "appalled" by the strike, demanding a "prompt and thorough investigation."
"The fundamental principles of international humanitarian law concerning the protection of civilians must be respected."
Touting Israel’s operations, the chief of the IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said that Hezbollah’s defensive forces have been defeated in every area that troops have so far operated in.
"Since we started [Operation] Northern Arrows, we have dealt a very serious blow to Hezbollah’s command and control. Most of [Hezbollah’s] brigade commanders have already been [eliminated] for the third time," Gordin said during a visit to southern Lebanon this week, in a video distributed by the IDF.
"All the defensive areas we attacked have been defeated. We are determined to reach every [tunnel] shaft, every underground site, every stockpile of weapons," he added.
HEZBOLLAH STOPS PRESS CONFERENCE DUE TO IDF EVACUATION ORDER
Also Tuesday, a Hezbollah front man acknowledged that some of the group’s operatives were captured by the Israeli army, without giving numbers, adding that Israel "bears responsibility" for their lives.
Spokesman Mohammed Afif also called on the International Committee of the Red Thingy to ascertain their safety, before he was forced to interrupt the presser after the IDF’s Arabic language front man Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation order for residents of the area.
Afif was filmed as he hastily wrapped up his speech and got up to leave the stage while his assistants removed the microphones. As he left, he was heard saying: "The bombing does not scare us, nor the threats. Our will is firm and our determination is strong."
Later, an News Agency that Dare Not be Named photographer captured the exact moments of an IDF airstrike at the building in Beirut where the presser had been held.
Channel 12 news reported that a Hezbollah bunker holding weapons was located underneath.
At least 63 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the last day, bringing the total corpse count to 2,530, the Lebanese government said Tuesday, while not differentiating between civilians and combatants.
[IsraelTimes] Hezbollah has yet to announce death of Hashem Safieddine, who was targeted in Beirut as he met with terror group’s intel chief and other top commanders.
The IDF on Tuesday announced that top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut earlier this month.
Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was presumed to be the successor of Hassan Nasrallah following his assassination in late September.
According to the military, Safieddine was killed alongside the head of the Lebanese terror group’s intelligence division, Hussein Ali Hazima, during the strike on October 4.
The strike had targeted Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters in Beirut, which the army says was “in the heart of a civilian population” in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburb, known as Dahiyeh.
The IDF says that more than 25 members of Hezbollah’s intelligence division were at the headquarters when the strike was carried out, including other top commanders.
Safieddine had been out of contact since the strike, but only on Tuesday the IDF said it could confirm his death. Hezbollah has not yet announced his death.
“We reached [Hassan] Nasrallah, his replacement, and most of Hezbollah’s leadership. We will know how to reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in remarks provided by the military.
Safieddine, whom the US State Department designated as a terrorist in 2017, was a cousin of Nasrallah and, like him, was a cleric who wore the black turban denoting ostensible descent from Islam’s Prophet Mohammed. Grey-bearded and bespectacled, Safieddine bore a striking resemblance to Nasrallah, but was several years his junior, aged in his late 50s or early 60s.
[IsraelTimes] China is holding live-fire drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province facing Taiwan, just a week after a massive air-and-sea drill it called punishment for Taiwan’s president rejecting Beijing’s claims of illusory sovereignty.
The live fire drills are being held near the Pingtan islands off Fujian province from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to a notice from the Maritime Safety Administration. It warns ships to avoid the area. It does not offer additional details.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says China’s drills are part of an annual exercise and is tracking them. "It cannot be ruled out that it is one of the ways to expand the deterrent effect in line with the dynamics in the Taiwan Strait," the statement adds.
Last week, China held a one-day military exercise aimed at practicing the "sealing off of key ports and key areas." Taiwan counted a record one-day total of 153 aircraft, 14 navy vessels, and 12 Chinese government ships.
In response to Chinese moves, the US has continued to host what it calls "freedom of navigation" transits through the Taiwan Strait. On Sunday, the destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver transited the narrow band of ocean that separates China and Taiwan.
[KhaamaPress] Nearly 10 days have passed since the first deadly shooting by Iranian border forces at Afghan migrants colonists and five days since the second incident, yet the fact-finding team from the interim government has not made any findings.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... spokesperson, stated today (Tuesday, 22 October) that the distance from the incident location is the reason for the prolonged investigations. He added, "The delegation is visiting three borders," and the investigation is ongoing.
This is even though it has been nine days since the first shooting, which reportedly resulted in around 260 casualties, according to Hal Vash. It has also been almost a week since the second shooting occurred on Thursday evening, 17 October.
In the latest development, Hal Vash, a human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. organization, reported that Iranian authorities intend to bury the bodies of the migrants colonists killed in the Kalgan Saravan region.
The bodies of migrants colonists who were killed in the deadly shootings by Iranian border forces on 13 and 17 October
…definitely two attacks. Good to know…
in eastern 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... are being held in the morgue of "Razi" Hospital in Saravan.
Hal Vash further reported that the "Taliban government" is attempting to recover at least 13 bodies of Afghan migrants colonists who bit the dust due to the shootings at the Kalgan Saravan border and to return them to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has not made any statement on this matter, and the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran, as expected, has denied such an incident.
[KhaamaPress] Legal activists believe that the fate of approximately 70,000 Afghans currently living temporarily in the United States is closely linked to the upcoming presidential election.
These refugees, who arrived after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, are still navigating uncertain legal conditions.
Many Afghan immigrants colonists lost hope of returning to their homeland after the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... regained power and began implementing murderous Moslem policies. This shift has turned dreams of going back into fears of what awaits them.
After the fall of Kabul, thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in a desperate attempt to avoid potential Taliban reprisals. This group included numerous individuals who had collaborated with U.S. and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces during the conflict.
The United States managed to evacuate nearly 124,000 people from Afghanistan. On August 29, 2021, the Biden administration announced that Afghan refugees transferred to the U.S. could remain temporarily under legal protection.
Reports indicate that around 70,000 Afghans are currently living in the U.S. under the "humanitarian parole" program. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... their legal status remains uncertain, with no permanent resolution.
Migrant rights activists suggest that the upcoming U.S. elections could have a decisive impact on the legal future of these Afghans, potentially resolving their residency status.
The U.S. utilized the humanitarian parole program to admit most Afghan refugees. This program is designed for individuals facing severe emergencies outside the United States.
The program requires the U.S. president to renew it every two years, whereas the country’s refugee policy allows for permanent residency for individuals who fear returning to their homeland.
Approximately one-third of the Afghans who arrived in the U.S. have settled in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, Virginia, and Texas, while the remainder reside in various other states. Despite being legally able to work and study, they often face challenges due to the lack of permanent residency and social security numbers.
The plight of Afghan refugees in the United States highlights the ongoing challenges in addressing their legal status. While humanitarian parole offers temporary relief, a long-term solution depends on Congress passing the necessary legislation. The uncertainty surrounding these individuals’ futures underscores the complexity of immigration policies in responding to humanitarian crises.
[Garowe] A top military commander associated with the Rapid Support Force (RSF) defected his outfit, joining the Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... ese army, in what seems to be a huge win for the military rulers who are battling to control the country amid resistance from the paramilitary wing.
The commander is said to have defected along with some of his fighters, further weakening the Rapid Support Force. This is the first major defection since the fighting started several months ago.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has seized control of large parts of the country in a conflict with the military that the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... says has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises., Aljazeera reports.
But those who support the national army posted photos purportedly of Abuagla Keikal — a former army officer who became the RSF’s top commander in the southeastern state of El Gezira — after he had defected.
And the Sudanese army which has made significant gains against the Rapid Support Force within the capital Khartoum, said Keikal had decided to make the move because of his former force’s "destructive agenda".
It did not go into further detail and there was no statement, in print or on video, from Keikal. The army has also claimed an advance in the state of Sennar, in southeast Sudan near the border with Æthiopia, opening up a supply route from eastern Sudan into the south.
"[The army] said that any other fighter from the RSF who wants to come and join ranks with the army is welcome to do so," said Hiba Morgan, an Al Jazeera correspondent, who added that RSF was losing strategic areas.
The conflict has displaced more than 10 million people, driven parts of the country to extreme hunger or famine, and drawn in foreign powers that have supplied both sides with material support, Aljazeera adds.
It began in April 2023 when tensions between the RSF and the army, who had been jostling for position before an internationally backed transition to civilian rule, erupted into open conflict. The RSF paramilitary wing was the cornerstone of Omar al-Bashir ...Former President-for-Life of Sudan. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself head cheese. He fell out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. He was overthrown by popular consent in 2019. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it... 's regime.
[Garowe] The United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has slammed Kenya over the deportation of four Ottoman Turkish nationals while expressing 'deep concerns' regarding the incident that could be in breach of various international statutes.
According to the government of Kenya, the refugees were repatriated following the request by the government of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... . The statement comes after reports of several people being kidnapped in the capital city, Nairobi, on Friday.
A British national told the BBC he and several Ottoman Turkish citizens had been kidnapped by masked men. He said he had been released after eight hours when he showed his alleged abductors a copy of his British passport.
"UNHCR urges the Government of Kenya to abide by their international legal obligations, and in particular, to respect the principle of non-refoulement [forced return of refugees], which protects asylum-seekers and refugees from any measure that could lead to their removal to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened," UNHCR said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya said it agreed to Turkey's request to repatriate the refugees because the East African nation has "robust historical and strategic relations" with Turkey, and that it had been assured the refugees would be "treated with dignity".
Multiple sources in Ankara say the four men were deported because they are believed to be followers of the Gulen movement, a powerful Islamic community with followers in Turkey and worldwide, whose leader has just died.
The Gulen movement runs a network of schools in Kenya and around the world. Known as Hizmet or "service" in Turkey, it was blamed for a 2016 coup attempt and later declared a terrorist organization, BBC reports.
Under the UN's 1951 Refugee Convention, refugees should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. Turkey has remained silent over the incident, which has been widely condemned.
A Kenyan law firm named Mukele and Kakai which said it was acting on behalf of the four men, warned various airlines against ferrying them abroad, maintaining that they were enjoying refugee status in the country. It termed them victims of political victimization.
The Kenyan government said it had an "unswerving commitment to the protection and promotion of refugee rights" and was "committed to the privacy and confidentiality of the repatriated individuals".
The British national, Necdet Seyitoglu, told the BBC that six other people he knew - all Ottoman Turkish citizens - were also kidnapped in the same manner from different locations in Nairobi.
Turkey is often in negative news headlines with President Tayyip Erdogan accused of targeting opposition figures in the country. Turkey has close bilateral ties with the Republic of Kenya, which hosts over 800,000 refugees from across the world.
[ShabelleMedia] Æthiopia’s authorities have sentenced 60 members of the Somalia-based bully boy group al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... to prison terms of between 2.5 and 18 years, following their arrest after crossing into Æthiopia from Somalia.
The bully boys, captured during a July 2022 operation in Æthiopia’s Afdheer region, were part of a broader scheme to establish a foothold in the country’s Somali region, exploiting perceived security gaps.
Æthiopian Federal Police confirmed that two senior al-Shabaab figures among the group received life sentences, while the rest faced varying terms reflective of their involvement in the organization’s activities.
Furthermore, investigations continue into 95 other suspects linked to al-Shabaab, highlighting Æthiopia’s resolute stand against terrorism as it seeks to maintain stability in the Horn of Africa, a region long plagued by bully boy activities.
[Rudaw] The Israeli army said on Monday it killed a Lebanese Hezbollah official in Syria responsible for the group’s finances, less than a month after taking down his predecessor.
The unidentified man led Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is "responsible for the transfers and the amount of funds" to the group through Iran’s oil sales in cooperation with Syria, Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
Unit 4400 of Hezbollah is accused of transporting Iranian oil through Syria, which is then sold in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... to the worth of "tens of millions of dollars," Hagari said.
Syrian state media also reported an Israeli strike on the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus, labeling the casualties as "civilians."
"At around 5:17 pm today, the Israeli enemy launched an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... targeting a civilian car in the residential neighborhood of Mazzeh in Damascus, which led to the martyrdom of two civilians and the injury of three others," Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said, citing a military source.
Unit 4400 was previously managed by Mohammed Jaafar Ksir, known as Sheikh Salah, who "managed the terrorist organization’s main source of income for years, until we eliminated him in a assassination in Beirut in early October," according to Hagari.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britannia-based war monitor, said a non-Syrian man "and his lover companion were killed as a result of an Israeli strike on a car in the Mazzeh neighborhood."
The Observatory said the men were attending a memorial ceremony for Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by Israel last week 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... .
[Rudaw] Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday announced the killing of the so-called "Iraq Governor" of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) along with eight big shots of the group, as Baghdad tightens the noose around jihadist remnants in the country.
"I congratulate our honorable people on the killing of the so-called (Iraq Governor) in the terrorist organization ISIS and 8 of the organization’s big shots in a heroic and qualitative operation," Sudani said on X.
The Iraqi army operation targeted ISIS bases in the Hamrin Mountains, a hotbed for jihadist activity and part of territories disputed between the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) - where the majority of anti-ISIS campaigns in the country take place.
[Front Page] On the last leg of her African tour, Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to an otherwise unremarkable office building in Zambia. Her staff and local embassy personnel had spent a great deal of time looking for it and everyone was hoping it was the right place.
Kamala, with her Jamaican and Indian roots, needed a tangible connection to Africa to win over African-American voters and convince them that she was one of them. And everyone settled on the office building as being the next best thing because it was the former spot of the building where she had once stayed as a little girl with her Indian mother on a visit to her grandfather.
President Hakainde Hichilema welcomed her as "a daughter of our own country, someone who spent time here in her early years."
Kamala responded by launching into a story about having visited "Zambia, Mr. President, as a young girl when my grandfather worked here" as "an advisor to Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda" to "serve as a director of relief measures and refugees."
The vice president then began singing the praises of Kaunda, a brutal socialist dictator allied with the Soviet Union, who had banned opposing political parties and ran as the only candidate for president until he was finally ousted, and praised Zambia’s "democracy". Kaunda, whom Kamala fondly recalled meeting with JFK and MLK "to discuss peaceful forms of protest" had demanded nuclear weapons from LBJ. Hichilema, who had narrowly survived being arrested by a previous regime, had nothing to say about Kamala’s fond memories of Zambian democracy.
Or the "peaceful forms of protest" carried on with nuclear missiles and terrorism.
But behind Kamala’s childhood time in Zambia and her grandfather’s work is a lot of blood, along with a horrifying and mostly forgotten story of terrorism, atrocities and mass murder.
P. V. Gopalan, Kamala’s grandfather, had been a member of India’s socialist Congress party which was aligned with the USSR. What "refugees" was he aiding in Zambia?
Gopalan was posted to Zambia from 1966 to 1969. Formerly known as Northern Rhodesia, Zambia played a key role in the genocidal terrorist campaign against what was known as Rhodesia before it fell to a brutal dictatorship and became known afterward as Zimbabwe.
She's connecting with her socialist, anti-colonial past. She watched the toppling of Rhodesia and other nations in the region. She will use it as a template here, if she is permitted.
Yes, destruction of the borders of Rhodesia and South Africa by throngs of hungry migrants and terrorists, there is indeed is a parallel strategy.
#3
Russia bombing aid destined for Gaza, British intelligence claims The strikes on ports in Ukraine have reportedly delayed transport to the Gaza enclave, where Palestinian civilians have reportedly suffered a humanitarian crisis as a result of the war against Hamas.
So, Ukrainians sending "humanitarian aid" to Gaza?
Any secondary explosions? (Asking for a friend)
[Ynet] Another day of intense fighting in northern Israel unfolded as rockets were fired from Lebanon, and the IDF responded with airstrikes on multiple targets, including villages along the border and sites in Beirut's Shia-majority Dahieh district and Tyre.
The military reported that a building in Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold, was demolished using a single precision bomb after intelligence confirmed it housed terrorist infrastructure.
Overnight, Israeli Air Force jets, guided by military intelligence, targeted weapons production and storage sites, as well as Hezbollah command centers hidden within civilian buildings in Dahieh.
Following an IDF warning of imminent strikes in Tyre, Lebanese civil defense teams evacuated an entire neighborhood. Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar reported that Lebanese authorities closed roads leading to the city after receiving Israel’s warning. Quelle difference from Gaza!
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
IDF taking down Hezbollah towers in Beirut right now Now you see it. Now you don’t!! pic.twitter.com/d74rZ7dUrE
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
10/23/2024
11:05 ||
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[11164 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
On a completely different but exactly the same subject...
This is very active earthquake zone. Remembering Turkey's last big one, would a building to code collapse like that?
Posted by: Titus Glineck1291 ||
10/23/2024 12:56
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[LA Times] Remember when some people (yes, one of them was me) used to obsess over President Biden’s age and future because we were worried about a President Kamala Harris? She’s come into her own as the Democratic nominee, especially for non-Californians unfamiliar with her career before the Senate. We are learning much more about her contributions and experience as vice president, and watching her handle the challenge of an abbreviated campaign with skill, humanity and toughness. Setting the stage.
Now it’s JD Vance’s turn under scrutiny. Two things are different.
First, Donald Trump, 78, is showing signs of deterioration that are far more expansive and disturbing than those that led Biden to end his campaign. Trump’s speeches are interminable and devolve into gibberish, misplaced syllables, ungoverned hate speech and wildly inappropriate vulgarities — all warning signs of mental decline.
There’s a second key difference between concerns about Trump’s age now and questions about Biden’s age a few months ago: If Trump wins and can’t fulfill his term, he would be replaced by Vance — an ambitious newbie senator who is already very well known and has given Americans plenty of reasons to worry.
Since his rise to national attention with his 2017 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance’s TV, radio and podcast interviews have created a voluminous record of ideas and opinions that his Democratic counterpart, Tim Walz, memorably described as weird. And yet, the LA Times did not endorse Harris. However...
It’s conceivable that if Trump were in dire shape, he might consider stepping aside and handing the reins to Vance — no doubt with an agreement that President Vance would pardon Trump in the federal cases he faces. But the cases moving through state courts in New York and Georgia — not subject to a presidential pardon — would still hang over Trump, so it’s also conceivable he would refuse to abdicate no matter how incapacitated he became.
That’s unthinkable, and so is a truncated Trump presidency that would give us a President Vance. There is only one certain way to prevent both scenarios: Defeat this pair on election day.
[ZERO] There's no such thing as coincidence in Washington...
A day after former President Trump ventured into a McDonalds during a campaign stop, cooked some fries, and handed out some food to more-than-happy customers in a photo-op that went very viral (in a good way), the CDC issued a statement announcing an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders has left one person dead and caused 10 hospitalizations.
There are 49 cases across 10 states, with most illneses in Colorado and Nebraska (not where president Trump was)...
[RedState] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's last poll before election day takes Georgia out of the "swing state" category and puts it firmly in Trump's column. Ever since shenanigans in Fulton County in 2020 led to a 0.24-point Biden victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the left and the media have insisted on calling Georgia a swing state, a claim that ranks right up there with claiming Texas is going to elect a Democrat senator this year.
The bad news for Kamala is that the gender gap in Georgia is much greater than in national polls. While Harris leads among women by 18 points (55.4 to 37.2), Trump carries men by a whopping 31 points (59.3 to 28.3). Even if women have a higher voting rate than men, it is hard to see how this is overcome.
Age Preference
Trump leads among 18–29-year-olds (52.3 to 44.3), 45–64-year-olds (51.9 to 42.1), and the 65+ crowd (45.6 to 43.6). Kamala leads by 10 points with the 30-44 demographic (47.2 to 37.3).
Race and Ethnicity
Trump carries White voters by a 38-point margin (66.1 to 28.4). Kamala wins Black voters by 66 points (73.8 to 7.6) and "Other" voters by 13 points (52.7 to 39.2). Biden flipped Georgia in 2020 by winning 88% of the Black votes (and a few 18-wheelers of badly needed ballots).
Education
Trump wins voters with a high school diploma or less by 20 points (54.8 to 34.8) and those with some college by four points (49.5 to 45.0). Harris takes the college group by 10 points (49.1 to 38.8).
The Dog That Didn't Bother to Get Up
One thing really stood out in the cross tabs of this poll. The demographics that Trump carried, he did so convincingly. Kamala voters were a little more uncertain. For instance, while Kamala leads Black voters by 66 points, 17.6 are "undecided" only two weeks out. She leads 30–44-year-olds by 10, but 14.2 percent remain undecided. Among college graduates, 10.6 percent say they haven't made up their minds.
Article Linked Is Available Only Via VPN.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces in Liptsy and Volchansk directions hit formations of 57th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the AFU and 125th Territorial Defence Brigade near Volchansk, Liptsy, and Russkaya Lozovaya (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 80 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. One Anklav-N electronic warfare station and one field ammunition depot were destroyed.
The Zapad Group of Forces liberated Novosadovoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The Russian units engaged AFU 60th, 67th Mechanised brigades, and 3rd Assault Brigade near Novoyegorovka (Kharkov region), Terny, Torskoye, and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 14th Mechanised Brigade was repelled. The enemy lost more than 470 troops, three U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, six motor vehicles, a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system launcher, a 152mm D-20 gun, a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. Three field ammunition depots were eliminated.
The Yug Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line and defeated the 23rd, 30th, 31st, 54th, 56th Mechanised brigades, 46th Airmobile Brigade, 5th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and 18th National Guard Brigade near Serebryanka, Seversk, Petrovskoye, Mayskoye, Nikolayevka, Predtechino, and Yantarnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counter-attacks of the AFU 81st Airmobile Brigade were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to up to 900 troops, six motor vehicles, a 152mm Msta-B howitzer, a 122mm D-30 howitzer, and one 155mm Paladin and one 155mm M-198 howitzer made in the USA. Two AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of enemy defences. Russian units engaged 33rd, 151st Mechanised brigades, 25th Air Assault Brigade, and 119th Territorial Defence Brigade near Shcherbinovka, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, and Tsukurino of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Nine counter-attacks of assault groups 93rd, 100th, 150th Mechanised brigades, 68th Jaeger Brigade, 49th Assault Battalion of the AFU, and 38th Naval Infantry Brigade were repelled. The enemy's losses amounted to up to 430 troops, two U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers, including a U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, a 152mm D-20 gun, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Vostok Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian units hit formations of 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 58th Mechanised Brigade, and 127th Territorial Defence Brigade near Dobrovolye, Novoukrainka, and Shakhtyorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counterattacks of the AFU 5th Tank Brigade were repelled. The enemy's losses amounted to up to 110 troops, an armoured personnel carrier, three motor vehicles, and a French-made 155mm Caesar self-propelled artillery system.
The Dnepr Group of Forces engaged the manpower and hardware of the AFU 141st Infantry Brigade, the 124th Territorial Defence Brigade, and the 15th National Guard Brigade near Ilyinka (Dnepropetrovsk region), Gavrilovka, Antonovka (Kherson region), and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 troops, eight motor vehicles, a 152mm D-20 gun, and a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system. One electronic warfare station was eliminated.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 142 areas during the day.
Air defence systems shot down a French-made Hammer guided aerial bomb, four U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 77 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 646 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 34,095 unmanned aerial vehicles, 583 anti-aircraft missile systems, 18,753 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,478 MLRS combat vehicles, 16,530 field artillery guns and mortars, and 27,468 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
The Sever Group of Forces continued offensive actions and hit formations of 21st, 41st, and 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 80th, 82nd, and 95th Air Assault brigades, 112th, 129th Territorial Defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 1st Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine close to Zelyony Shlyakh, Nizhny Klin, Novoivanovka, Novy Put, Plyokhovo, Sverdlikovo, and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
The Group's units repelled two enemy's counterattacks in the direction of Zelyony Slyakh and Nikolayevo-Daryino. The AFU losses amounted to up to 70 troops killed and wounded, a tank, three U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Four AFU servicemen surrendered.
Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the 22nd, 47th, 61st, 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 80th, 82nd, 95th Airborne Assault brigades, as well as the 112th and 129th Territorial Defence brigades of the AFU near Gogolevka, Guyevo, Daryino, Kruglenkoye, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Loknya, Nizhny Klin, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novoivanovka, Novy Put, Oleshnya, Plyokhovo, Sverdlikovo, Staraya Sorochina, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye.
Operational-Tactical Aviation and Missile Troops attacked concentration areas of the Sumy region and reserves of the 47th, 115th Mechanised brigades, 82nd, 95th Air Assault brigades, 1st National Guard Brigade, 101st and 103rd Territorial Defence brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Zhuravka, Katerinovka, Krasnopolye, Pavlovka, and Pokrovka.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 340 troops, 13 armoured vehicles including three tanks, five infantry fighting vehicles, including three U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, five armoured fighting vehicles, five artillery guns, 11 motor vehicles, and two electronic warfare stations during the day. Six AFU servicemen surrendered.
In total, since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the enemy has lost more than 25,662 servicemen, 172 tanks, 89 infantry fighting vehicles, 103 armoured personnel carriers, 982 armoured fighting vehicles, 675 motor vehicles, 221 artillery guns, 38 multiple rocket launchers, including nine of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the U.S., nine anti-aircraft missile launchers, five transport and loading vehicles, 54 EW stations, 11 counter-battery warfare radars, three air defence radars, 22 pieces of engineering and other equipment, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, and three armoured recovery vehicles.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Residents of Moscow have received an additional opportunity to search for information about their ancestors and compile a family tree. They can find them in the capital's Main Archive, which published documents from 1812 in the virtual museum "Moscow - with care for history". This was reported on October 22 by Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development Anastasia Rakova.
“This year, the capital’s Main Archives Department published lists of those awarded for participating in the Patriotic War of 1812 <…> the new section contains not only the names of officers, but also privates, militiamen, partisans, townspeople, and even peasants who became heroes of those distant events,” the deputy mayor noted.
Information about officers, soldiers and peasants who distinguished themselves in battles with Napoleon is available in the new section "Heroes of the War of 1812". In the virtual museum, you can also find historical information about the ancestors of city residents who lived through the Great Patriotic War. For example, in the "Collections" subsection of the "1941-1945" hall, you can see the names of Muscovites who performed labor feats during the war, awarded the "For the Defense of Moscow" medal, as well as lists of soldiers who defended the skies above the city.
Citizens can find the names of their relatives among half a million people - not only military personnel, but also civilians. All surnames are listed in alphabetical order.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, an archive was discovered in Moscow that could have belonged to the writer and journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky. The materials were handed over to the city's cultural heritage department by one of the Russian capital's historians.
It is known that he acquired these archives at Moscow book stalls. Among the artifacts were letters addressed to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, business cards, notes written by his hand, articles, essays, reviews and more.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces Contain Russian Attacks in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
The Pokrovsky direction has the largest number of clashes. The enemy is attacking in the areas of four populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, 73 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Almost 60% of the battles are being conducted in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsky directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00 on Tuesday, October 22.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the Russians stormed the areas of Staritsa and Vovchansk four times. Three combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked six times near Peschanoye, Kolesnikovka and Lozovaya. The fighting continues.
In the Liman direction, the enemy advanced in the areas of Grekovka, Novomikhaylovka, Terny and Torskoye. Since the beginning of the day, seven attacks have been repelled. One combat clash continues.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the invaders are carrying out assault operations near Vasyukovka.
The Pokrovsky direction has seen the largest number of clashes since the start of the day - 26. The enemy is attacking in the areas of the populated areas of Mirolyubovka, Promin, Lisovka, Selidovo. Almost half of all clashes occurred near Selidovo. The defense forces repelled 16 assaults.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, the invaders attacked 15 times near Gornyak, Novodmitrovka, Ostroy, Katerinovka and Antonovka. The fighting continues.
In the Vremevsky direction, the Russians are trying to advance towards Bogoyavlenka from Ugledar and Vodyanoye.
The enemy carried out two attacks in the Dnieper direction. The clash continues.
Let us recall that on October 21, 134 combat clashes occurred on the front. The Ukrainian Armed Forces "minus" more than 1,300 Russian aggressors.
[France24] During a fresh wave of troubles last week, one person was killed and nearly 30 police received injuries as protesters looted shops, erected burning barricades and clashed with members of law enforcement.
Residents of Martinique will be placed under curfew until October 21 in what authorities are calling an effort to protect the people and property of the French overseas territory. One person was killed last week in renewed unrest over skyrocketing food prices.
Authorities in the French Caribbean island of Martinique have extended a night-time curfew following a new wave of riots over spiraling food prices, while talks between authorities and protesters have stalled.
In recent weeks the island of 350,000 people has been shaken by violent protests over high food prices.
During a fresh wave of troubles last week, one person was killed and nearly 30 police received injuries as protesters looted shops, erected burning barricades and clashed with members of law enforcement.
The curfew, which was ordered from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am (0100 GMT-0900 GMT) last week, has been extended until October 21, the prefecture of Martinique said in a statement on Monday.
The "exceptional measure" is aimed at "guaranteeing the safety of people and property," authorities said.
Unrest has recently ebbed, with the prefecture saying no major incidents have been recorded over the past 48 hours.
Pupils in primary and secondary schools are set to gradually return to classrooms from Tuesday, education authorities said.
Residents of France's overseas territories have long complained about the high cost of living. In Martinique, food prices are 40 percent higher than in mainland France.
Island prices are always higher, I was once told, because pretty much everything has to be imported from fairly far away.
The protests were launched in early September by the Assembly for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC), which demands that food prices be aligned with mainland France.
The government has held a series of meetings with activists and retailers to discuss ways to bring down prices. However, new talks would not take place due to a lack of a "new concrete and viable proposal," the president of Martinique's governing body, Serge Letchimy, said on Monday evening.
In response, the activists warned they were ready to continue protests against the high cost of living.
"We are a people legitimately demanding the right to access food at respectable prices, and all we have been given so far is repression," RPPRAC leader Rodrigue Petitot told AFP.
[Rudaw] Two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were maimed by shelling from unknown attackers in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor on Tuesday, according to a UK-based conflict monitor.
An unidentified local gang fired two artillery rounds on SDF positions in northern areas of Deir ez-Zor, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), detailing that two SDF members were maimed.
"The injured members were taken to the hospital for treatment," added SOHR that relies on a network of sources within Syria.
The SDF has not commented on the incident and no group has grabbed credit.
The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) and pro-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... militia groups often carry out attacks in the province on the SDF, the partnered local force of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition.
Control of Deir ez-Zor province, which borders Iraq, is split between the SDF and the Iran-backed Syrian regime. It is also home to many of the country’s key oilfields, such as Omar and Conoco, which the global coalition helps the SDF to control.
There is a history of tense relations between the SDF and some Arab tribes in the province. Some anti-SDF groups have claimed that the Kurdish-led force is targeting Arabs, which the SDF has rejected.
Both sides loot.
[Regnum] Ukrainian army militants sent by the Ukrainian Armed Forces command to Izyum, Kharkiv region, are illegally occupying the homes of local residents and are also engaged in looting and drunkenness, the press service of the Russian military-civil administration of the region reported on October 22, citing reports from local residents.
Men living in the city are forced to hide from military commissars, and checkpoints have been set up at the entrance to Izyum, where a fee is required for the opportunity to bring goods into the city, which negatively affects prices and assortment in Izyum stores, the report says.
"Nobody is restoring the housing stock of Izyum destroyed by the Ukrainian army in 2022. They only opened a few post offices, through which the "soldiers" send the loot to their homes. While there is a little time, the local Ukrainian authorities are stealing the city budget," the press service noted.
Ukrainian volunteer organizations operating in Izyum are laundering money, Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders and city leaders appointed by Kiev have established schemes for illegal enrichment, while both are well aware that local residents are waiting for the arrival of the Russian army, the report also says.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Russian military personnel previously reported that during the attack on the Kursk region, Ukrainian militants fired at and robbed civilians' cars. The looting was recorded by drone cameras, the reports noted.
On October 17, the head of the Russian administration of the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev, reported that the Russian Armed Forces had taken the entire territory of the Kupyansk district near the Oskol River under fire control. The road along which the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants supply their units on the front line was also taken under fire control.
[IsraelTimes] Mark Dion says his ‘pretentious’ support for successful motion to divest from firms linked to Israel was ‘a betrayal to the trust that Jewish people should expect’ from his office
May he and his party go down in flames in the next election.
Last month the mayor of Portland, Maine, shocked Jewish communities in his backyard and beyond when he expressed full-throated support for his city council’s successful resolution to divest from companies linked to Israel.
Now, Mayor Mark Dion is taking it all back.
"Upon personal reflection and following many private conversations I have had with our Jewish neighbors, I have come to the conclusion that my vote on the divestment was wrong," Dion said during prepared remarks at Monday’s city council meeting.
He went on to call his stance on divestment "pretentious," "a serious mistake in judgment" and "a betrayal to the trust that Jewish people should expect from the mayor’s office." Dion concluded his remarks by giving what he called a "sincere apology" for his vote.
The about-face was another whiplash moment in the battle around divestment that has taken on new urgency since Israel’s war with Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... began after the terror group’s October 7, 2023, attacks. Many colleges and universities have seen deep divisions over divestment proposals, and local governments have experienced their share as well.
Portland became the fourth, and highest-profile, American municipality since last October 7 to back some form of divestment when its council unanimously approved a plan in September to withdraw city funds from dozens of companies it said were "complicit in the current and ongoing humanitarian crisis 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... and occupation of Paleostine." Divestment proponents say the move is necessary to curb Israel’s retaliation in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people, and reduced most of the enclave to rubble.
The vote came over the stern objections of many in the local Jewish community, including the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, the local federation arm, which denounced the move as a "one-sided" and "performative gesture." Local Jewish pro-Paleostinian activists voiced support for it, with the Maine chapter of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace celebrating its passage.
At the time, the mayor supported divestment, calling it "the greatest act of friendship" and said it was the city’s role to "grab [Israel’s] shoulder and say, ’It’s enough. It’s simply enough.’"
But the local government found, to their evident surprise, that the measure was almost entirely symbolic. Weeks after its passage, Portland council members said the city does not have any funds invested in the dozens of companies on its divestment target list and that "no divestment is expected to occur" as a result of the resolution. (When the resolution was first proposed months ago, city officials said, Portland did hold shares in a technology company that provides Israel with screening technology used at military checkpoints; the city sold those funds prior to the resolution’s passage.)
Both Dion and some council members told the Portland Press Herald this news came as a surprise to them, and that they had believed Portland to be more heavily invested in companies that do business with Israel when they backed the resolution.
"I guess on reflection, it’s a high price to pay to create division and anxiety in the community," Kate Sykes, a council member who also backed the initial divestment vote, said afterward.
The local Jewish federation, which recently brought on its first permanent CEO, thanked the mayor for his apology.
"In his statement, Mayor Dion admits that the resolution, which he now believes was misguided, only served to marginalize Portland’s Jewish community — particularly those who view Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people," the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine wrote in a statement shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "We appreciate his honesty in recognizing the harm this caused and the difficulty of navigating these intricate issues in a local setting."
In his apology, Dion echoed some long-standing Jewish communal criticisms of divestment measures, including that a local government has no business engaging in international matters. He also went further, saying that his support of the measure has damaged some relationships "which may never be repaired."
He added, "I had not only failed to stay in my lane, but I went totally off the road."
Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker joins ‘Cavuto Live’:
[FoxNews] It’s two weeks until Election Day and the New York Times thinks former President Trump is making a big mistake by hammering home how he’ll tackle illegal immigration. Polls, after all, show voters care more about the economy and inflation than the millions of people allowed to enter our country illegally while Kamala Harris has been the border czar.
My view: never underestimate Trump’s political instincts. Yes, Americans have been whacked by a 20%-plus increase in prices while Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have occupied the White House, and surveys do show voters anxious about the economy.
But it is the 10 million or 20 million people who have been allowed to cross into and stay in our country illegally that gets crowds riled up; it is the fentanyl deaths and terror threats and the cost of undocumented people disappearing into our society that has animated the Trump candidacy ever since that famous ride down the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015. For good reason: Americans know it is wrong.
A recent Scripps News/Ipsos poll found over half of respondents, including 58% of independents and even 25% of Democrats, say they support mass deportations – an unthinkable response at any other time in our welcoming country – and that for 39%, illegal immigration is their top issue.
Politically, there are three reasons why Trump is right to double down on the issue. First, the Biden-Harris White House opened the border intentionally, ignoring the consequences until polling showed the issue might cost them the election. This was not an accident, and voters are rightly holding them responsible. Second, Vice President Harris is indelibly linked personally with having allowed this offense to the nation. Like it or not, she was popularly dubbed the "border czar" and she failed to meet the challenge. Third, if Harris becomes president, she would doubtless allow tens of millions more migrants to enter the country, increasing the dangers and costs of a swelling illegal population. After all, Harris told the hosts of "The View" that she cannot think of a single thing she would change about the past three-plus years; presumably, that includes our open border.
#2
If Republicans win control of both houses of Congress, they will take office 3 Jan 2025. Plenty of time for them, then, to impeach both Biden and Kamala for "high crimes and misdemeanors". The misconduct of the Biden regime in its failure to administer laws on the border, IMNSHO, easily falls under that category, and applies to both the current President and VP.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:58 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 10/22/2024 to 00:00 10/23/2024.
A total of 36 cases of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours.
There were reports of one civilian being killed and eight injured.
DAMAGED:
Three residential buildings.
Five artillery attacks in the Donetsk direction.
A total of 31 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 103 units of various ammunition were fired.
23:00 Assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces managed to enter and gain a foothold on the outskirts of the settlement of Antonovka in the DPR.
20:38 n.p. Selidovo: advance along the E-50 highway to the "fork":
"Assault operations continue to block the enemy. The E-50 highway is essentially the enemy's last chance to escape the operational encirclement (if you don't count open fields)," the statement said.
19:11 South Donetsk direction: liberation of the eastern part of Katerinovka and advancement of the Russian Armed Forces to Bogoyavlenka.
After the liberation of Ugledar, Russian troops are advancing towards Bogoyavlenka. On the northern flank, the Russian Armed Forces have advanced towards the center of Katerinovka, driving the enemy out of the eastern part of the village.
Currently, fighting is taking place in the area of a school used by Ukrainian formations as a stronghold. To the south of the village, the Russian Armed Forces have established control over the ruins of an agricultural complex, where another stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was located.
At the same time, Russian troops are striking at identified enemy positions in neighboring Antonovka.
To the north of Ugledar, the Russian Armed Forces are "breaking through" the defensive lines of the Ukrainian army on the approaches to Bogoyavlenka. The advancing units are supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, hitting temporary deployment points and infrastructure in the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the vicinity of Zolotaya Niva, Russian units have driven the Ukrainian Armed Forces from their positions in the area of the S-050441 highway. Control over it will allow direct communication with neighboring Novodonetsk and simplify the supply of units of the Russian Armed Forces.
Russian UAV operators and artillerymen are also working on targets in the enemy's rear areas, hitting areas where personnel and armored vehicles are concentrated. Thus, to the south of Trudovoye, FPV drones and Krasnopol guided missiles destroyed a self-propelled gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
19:05 In the Kurakhovsky direction, Russian units began an assault on Kurakhovo from the east, the 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported. The Russian Armed Forces entered the administrative borders of Kurakhovo from two directions: along the highway and from Ostrovsky.
19:00 Calculation of the 122mm D-30 howitzer of the "Center" group of forces destroyed UAV control point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
18:44 Destruction of unmanned aerial vehicle "Baba Yaga" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the FPV drone operator of the "North" group of troops in the Khar'kov region.
18:30 Crews of the 122mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 "Acacia" of the "East" group of forces from Transbaikalia inflicted precision strikes on deployment points of unmanned aircraft units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Ugledar section of the South Donetsk direction.
18:10 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces in Antonovka –map.
18:07 Defeat Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower at positions in the border area of Kursk Oblast.
Scouts from the North group of troops, using combat drones, launched surprise attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces militants trying to hide in forest belt areas.
17:55 Russian troops are successfully repelling counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kamenskoye, despite the enemy transferring reserves through Stepnogorsk, Vladimir Rogov reported.
17:47 Explosions in Khar'kov.
17:20 RF Armed Forces advanced west of Stelmakhovka and are pushing the Ukrainian Armed Forces further and further away from the settlement. The enemy acknowledges tactical successes and transfers reserve units from the 4th National Guard Brigade to the Lozovaya area, trying to stop the advance of Russian troops.
16:12 A concentration of American armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, destroyed by the Russian army in the Pokrovsk direction.
On frames: destroyed infantry and burned-out M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA infantry fighting vehicles, International MaxxPro armored vehicle, M-113 and M-1117 armored personnel carriers.
16:06 Russian troops have liberated the northern quarter of Gornyak up to Zhukovsky Lane.
15:32 Attack aircraft of the unit of the "Center" group of forces told about the liberation of the settlement of Novogrodovka in the DPR.
15:11 Destruction of the VOP and PVD by FABs of the 97th MB of the 60th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Terny, Khar'kov region –video.
14:15 Russian troops launch pinpoint missile strike from Inokhodets UAV destroyed the Nota electronic warfare station of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk border area.
13:40 Enemy reports:
“In the Ugledar direction, the Russian Armed Forces advanced north of Vodyanoye and in the Katerinovka area.
The Russian Armed Forces are trying to push through the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces south of Bogoyavlenka and in Katerinovka.
In addition, Russian units, which are strengthening their positions in the Maksimilianivka area, may enter the rear of the Ukrainian group, creating a bridgehead from which they can go south, striking at the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Uspenovka.”
13:09 Ukrainian troops have left their first positions on the eastern outskirts of Kurakhovo, DPR. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are suffering losses on this section of the front, the security forces reported.
13:05 Summary of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of the special military operation (as of October 22, 2024):
Units of the North group of forces in the Liptsov and Volchansk directions inflicted losses on formations of the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk, Liptsy and Russkaya Lozovaya in the Khar'kov region.
The "West" group of forces, as a result of active and decisive actions, liberated the settlement of Novosadove of the Donetsk People's Republic. It inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the 60th, 67th Mechanized and 3rd Assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Novogorovka in the Khar'kov region, Terny, Torskoye and Krasny Liman of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "Southern" group of forces improved their position along the front line and defeated the formations of the 23rd, 30th, 31st, 54th, 56th Mechanized, 46th Airmobile, 5th Mountain Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 18th National Guard Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Serebryanka, Seversk, Petrovskoye, Mayskoye, Nikolaevka, Predtechino and Yantarnoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The fighters of the "Center" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of the 33rd, 151st Mechanized, 25th Airborne brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 119th Territorial Defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Shcherbinovka, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk and Tsukurino of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "East" group of forces improved their tactical position. They defeated the formations of the 72nd Mechanized, 58th Motorized Infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Dobrovolye, Novoukrainka and Shakhtarskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Servicemen of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the 141st Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 124th Territorial Defense Brigade and the 15th National Guard Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Ilyinka in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Gavrilovka, Antonovka in the Kherson region and Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups inflicted damage on concentrations of enemy manpower and military equipment in 142 areas.
Air defense systems shot down a French-made Hammer guided aerial bomb, four US-made HIMARS rockets, and 77 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
12:12 Advance of units of the Russian Armed Forces in the direction of Elizavetovka and within the administrative boundaries of Kurakhovo –map.
11:12 In the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine, explosions have thundered for the seventh time in 24 hours, the Ukrainian publication "Public. News" reported.
11:04 Last night the Russian Armed Forces struck the locomotive depot of Pokrovsk station (Krasnoarmeysk). The facility is located at 139a Shmidta Street. According to Donbasskiy Partizan, the depot was used by Ukrainian units for servicing and repairing military equipment.
As a result of the strike, the premises of the second production section of the enterprise, where equipment was being repaired, were damaged, as well as diesel locomotives of the 2T116 and ChMEZ1767 models, which were used to transport military cargo.
A fire broke out at the facility, engulfing production facilities and equipment, causing significant damage.
10:52 Assault units of the Russian Armed Forcescame inin Novosadove, taking control of 18 buildings. The possibility of semi-encirclement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Terny area is emerging. Air strikes on their locations and crossings are carried out constantly, the Ukrainian Napravilenets reported.
10:44 Frontline summary as of Tuesday morning, October 22:
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian fighters have "cut off" all roads except the highway to Pokrovsk, but they are getting closer to it. For the second day, the assault has been going on from the north and east of the city, where fighting is taking place in the area of the Korotchenko mine and the local reinforced concrete plant. In Gornyak, the Russian Armed Forces have made significant advances in the northern part of the city to the south.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, the Russian Armed Forces are gradually leveling the front between Ostrovsky and Maksimilyanovka. To the south, there is an advance along forest belts, and advance groups are entering the Energetik dacha village near Kurakhovo.
In the Artemovsk direction, Russian servicemen are developing an offensive along the Artemovsk-Konstantinovka road towards Stupochki. The Ukrainian Armed Forces admit to an advance of one km, while noting that there are less than eight km left to the outermost houses of Konstantinovka.
In the Kupyansk direction, intense clashes continue in the area of Kruglyakovka. The Russian Armed Forces are leveling the flanks and expanding the controlled territory around the village.
10:12 Explosions are thundering in Sumy, the Ukrainian publication "Public. News" reported.
10:04 Crew of the 152mm Giatsint-B gun of the West group of forces destroyed fortifications and enemy manpower in the area where the special operation is being carried out.
09:55 14th Guards Special Forces Brigade in 24/7 mode inflicts strikes on Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in all directions in the area of responsibility of the East group of forces.
09:11 Russian Armed Forces advanced near Nelipovka, Kurakhovo, Vodyane and Lisovka in Donetsk Oblast.
08:47 "Solntsepyok" powerfully "worked" on the strongholds of the Ukrainian army on the right bank of the Oskol reservoir -video.
08:14 Russian military is conducting offensive battles in the north-eastern part of Chasov Yar. This was reported by the chief of the operational headquarters of the Melodiya intelligence center of the 88th volunteer Brigade "Espanola" with the call sign "Chukcha".
He specified that for now “most of the city’s buildings, as well as the summer cottage communities in the western part of the city, remain under enemy control.”
08:11 Su-34 Russian Aerospace Forces inflicted FAB-500 airstrikes on temporary deployment points of the 116th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Kucherovka, Khar'kov region.
08:06 A bunker and an infantry fighting vehicle of Ukrainian militants were destroyed by an Akatsiya crew – video.
08:02 Russian military in the Kupyansk direction do not allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to bring up reserves, precisely working on deployment points. This was reported by the head of the military-civil administration of the Khar'kov region Vitaliy Ganchev.
08:01 Mi-28NM crew as part of a mixed tactical group inflicted an attack on personnel and a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Shiite military-political movement Ansar Allah (Houthis), which rules northern Yemen, announced the first strike using a hypersonic missile on an Israeli military base in Tel Aviv.
"The Yemeni armed forces carried out a high-quality military operation against the Israeli enemy's military base in the east of the occupied Jaffa region using the Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said in a statement on his Telegram channel.
According to Saria, the launched missile “successfully reached its targets, bypassing American and Israeli interception systems.” He also called the attack on the Israeli military base part of the “fifth stage of escalation” in the confrontation with Israel.
On October 21, Regnum reported that at least three people were killed and more than 10 were wounded in an Israeli air strike in southern Beirut. The strikes were believed to have targeted the outskirts of Beirut, where the Shiite organization Hezbollah was based and its supporters lived.
On October 19, the Israeli army attacked a Hezbollah intelligence command center in the Lebanese capital. The IDF emphasized that the military targets were located under residential buildings in central Beirut.
On September 23, the IDF launched a "preemptive" offensive against Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy explained that the Israeli military is also preparing for the next stages of the conflict, which he promised to talk about later.
[IsraelTimes] After a slew of complaints, platform acknowledges blocking Israel-based users post-Oct. 7 ‘to prevent uploads of graphic material,’ doesn’t address lifting ban on antisemitic users
The live-streaming service Twitch has come under fire in recent days as allegations of allowing antisemitic content and intentionally blocking Israel-based users have piled up.
Members of the streaming community in recent weeks have accused the platform of allowing anti-Israel hate speech, blocking users in Israel and lifting bans on antisemitic streamers, while the annual TwitchCon conference last month reportedly included a panel during which popular livestreamers ranked others on a scale of Arab to Jew.
Multiple reports, including by the Ynet news site on Sunday, said that users in Israel were not able to register for the platform using either email or phone, while popular livestreamer Destiny posted on X an email purportedly from Twitch telling an Israeli user that they were "not eligible" to make an account.
The platform on Monday addressed some of the allegations for the first time, claiming that it had temporarily limited signups in the region and said it had fixed some issues, but failed to address many of the accusations.
In a statement on X, Twitch acknowledged having "temporarily disabled sign ups with email verification in Israel and Paleostine" in order to prevent the posting of "graphic material" related to the October 7 Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... attack.
However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the streaming platform claimed that it had not blocked anybody from signing up via phone number, despite the claims from users in Israel that they were not able to do so. Twitch also stated that while it "inadvertently" did not re-enable email verification after its initial block, it has since "fixed the issue."
The statement also vaguely addressed the other allegations, saying that it had "heard concerns about whether our Community Guidelines apply to all content on our service. We continue to enforce our rules as consistently as possible, and are actively reviewing content and taking enforcement action where needed."
Streamer Ethan Klein accused Twitch CEO Dan Clancy of antisemitism on Friday after the company re-platformed streamers Sneako and Fresh & Fit, whom Klein described as "maybe the two most openly antisemitic creators online."
Both users have reportedly trafficked in Holocaust denial and promoted conspiracy theories about Jews. Since his return, Sneako has lauded Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as "inspiring" and a "martyr."
Meanwhile,
...back at the saloon, Butch got the bill for the damage caused by the fist fight, the mirror broken in the shootout, and drinks for everyone...... the Spilled news site reported Saturday that a panel discussion at the official TwitchCon event last month included a board on which other streamers were rated by categories ranging from "Arab" to "Loves Sabra," derogatorily analogizing Israeli-Jews to an Israeli hummus brand.
The statement from Twitch did not address any concerns about the conference nor did it directly mention the decision to lift the bans on certain users who had previously been barred from the platform.
One would hope so. Politicians rarely cut fat until forced. Newt Gingrich was an anomaly.
[IsraelTimes] Military spending balloons to $4.7b; economic output shrinks amid widespread call-ups, hard-hit tourism industry; credit downgrade likely to cause public service cuts, higher taxes
On top of the heavy toll on human life, Israel’s war against the Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... and Hezbollah terror groups has been expensive, and the painfully high financial costs are raising concerns about the long-term effect of the fighting on the economy.
Military spending has ballooned, and economic growth has stalled, especially in dangerous border areas that were evacuated. Economists say the country could face declining investments and higher taxes as the war strains government budgets and forces tough choices between social programs and the military.
Here is a look at the monetary costs Israel faces as a result of the conflict:
SPENDING ON THE MILITARY HAS SOARED
The government is spending much more per month on the military, from $1.8 billion before Hamas invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023 — killing around 1,200 and taking 251 hostage — to around $4.7 billion by the end of last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The government spent $27.5 billion on the military last year, according to the institute, ranking 15th globally behind Poland but ahead of Canada and Spain, all of which have larger populations. Military spending as a percentage of annual economic output was 5.3 percent, compared with 3.4% for the United States and 1.5% for Germany. That pales in comparison to Ukraine, which spent 37% of its GDP and more than half its entire government budget on fighting off Russia’s invasion.
In the three months after Hamas attacked, Israel’s economic output shrank 5.6%, the worst performance of any of the 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of mostly rich nations. The economy partly rebounded with growth of 4% in the first part of this year, but grew only 0.2% in the second quarter.
The war has inflicted an even heavier toll on 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... ’s already broken economy, where 90% of the population has been displaced and the vast majority of the workforce is unemployed. The West Bank economy has also been hit hard, where tens of thousands of Paleostinian laborers lost their jobs in Israel after October 7, and IDF raids and checkpoints have hindered movement. The World Bank says the West Bank economy contracted by 25% in the first quarter.
The war has imposed many economic burdens on Israel. Call-ups and extensions of military service threaten to crimp the labor supply. Security worries deter investment in new business, and disruptions in flights have kept many visitors away, cutting into the tourism industry.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog had finished eating the rat terrier... the government is paying for housing for thousands of people who had to leave their homes in the south near the border with Gaza and in the north where they have been exposed to near-daily rocket fire from Hezbollah.
One of the biggest concerns is the open-ended nature of the fighting, which has lasted more than a year. Israel’s economy rebounded quickly from a 2006 war with Hezbollah in southern Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... — but that conflict lasted only 34 days.
Moody’s Ratings cited that idea on September 27, when it lowered the Israeli government’s credit rating by two notches. The Baa1 rating is still considered investment grade, albeit with moderate risk, according to Moody’s.
THE ISRAELI ECONOMY IS STILL STRONG, WITH MODEST DEBT
Israel’s economy is hardly collapsing. The country has a diversified, highly developed economy with a strong information-technology sector, which supports tax revenues and defense spending. Unemployment is low, and the TA-35 stock index is up 10.5% on the year.
Even amid the fighting, tech companies raised some $2.5 billion in capital during the third quarter, according to Zvi Eckstein, head of the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy at Reichman University.
Israel started the war "in the best economic condition" regarding government debt, which stood at a relatively modest 60% of GDP, Eckstein said. "We financed the war mainly with debt," which has now risen to 62% but is still contained compared with La Belle France at 111% and in line with Germany at 63.5%.
The institute foresees debt reaching 80% of GDP, assuming the fighting does not markedly intensify and some sort of ceasefire or conclusion can be reached by the end of next year. Even then, higher defense spending is likely, especially if Israel maintains a military presence in Gaza after the war.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s budget for 2025 foresees a deficit of below 4%, saying that will ensure that Israel’s debt burden remains stable. Smotrich said Israel has a stable shekel, rising share prices, a tight jobs market, strong tax revenues and access to credit, and a rebounding tech sector.
Moody’s questioned the deficit figures, forecasting a 6% deficit for next year.
The credit downgrade will lead to higher borrowing costs, meaning Israelis are likely to see cuts to public services and higher taxes, said Karnit Flug, a former head of Israel’s central bank and now vice president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute.
US STEPPED UP MILITARY AID AND COULD PROVIDE FINANCIAL BACKING
Before the war, American military aid to Israel amounted to around $3.8 billion per year under a deal signed during former US president Barack Obama teachable moment... ’s administration. That comes to roughly 14% of Israel’s prewar military spending, much of which goes to US defense companies.
Since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict across the Middle East, the United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project that was released on the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack.
Beyond strictly military aid, the US has offered critical financial support for Israel during times of trouble. Congress in 2003 approved $9 billion in credit guarantees that let Israel borrow at affordable rates after the economy suffered during the second intifada, or Paleostinian uprising.
Some of those guarantees remain unused and could in theory be tapped to stabilize government finances if Israel faces unaffordable borrowing costs.
WHAT’S THE WAY FORWARD?
The government has convened a commission under former acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel, who negotiated Israel’s most recent US aid package, to offer recommendations on the size of the future defense budget and to assess how increased defense spending could affect the economy.
Economist Eckstein said a budget that includes some tax increases and cuts in social spending would be needed to support a postwar rebound and pay for likely higher ongoing defense costs.
Following a request yesterday by the Director of the Al-Sahel General Hospital, who called on Reporters to come to the Hospital for a Tour to prove that a Hezbollah Bunker was not beneath the Hospital; a Large Group of Lebanese Reporters arrived at the Hospital this morning, but… pic.twitter.com/TksK8bojCi
[ABCnews] Among people who would support parties in the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if an election in Israel were today, 88% picked Trump as better for Israel's security and 84% preferred him for the U.S. presidency -- results that may reflect tensions between Netanyahu's government and the Biden administration.
Supporters of Israeli opposition parties, by contrast, split closely, 39%-37%, Harris-Trump, in preference for the presidency. That said, even opposition party supporters picked Trump over Harris as better for Israel's security, albeit by a comparatively close 41%-32%....
The shares picking Trump as better on security ranged from 53% of secular Jews to 88% of Orthodox Jews. Patterns are similar in preference for the presidency: Secular Jews favored Trump by 11 points, 46%-35%, widening to 65%-17% among traditional Jews and 69%-3% among ultra-Orthodox Jews, and peaking for Trump at 85%-4% among Orthodox Jews.
U.S.-based Jewish organizations are working to get out the vote among Americans living in Israel ahead of the November election, which comes weeks after the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
Nathan Diament, the executive director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, said his organization has coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and partnered with Yeshiva University, a private Orthodox Jewish university in New York, on outreach instructing young Americans taking their gap years in Israel on how to request their absentee ballots and vote from abroad.
"First of all, it's important, from our point of view, for every American citizen, no matter where they are, to hopefully participate in the election," Diament told Fox News Digital. "You know, this past year has obviously been a very intense, serious and historic year in terms of what's going on in Israel as it continues to battle against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran itself. We have friends and family who are there, whose lives are really on the line. And so it's really important for Americans there who have the right to vote to, again, participate, because the United States is Israel's most important ally."
He estimated that there are a few thousand Jewish Americans currently in Israel taking their gap year, typically done between high school and college. His own son is one of those students this year.
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (or Orthodox Union), which represents more than 1,000 Orthodox Jewish synagogues around the U.S. as well as several hundred Jewish K-12 schools, also works on educational resources targeting another demographic – the few hundred thousand Jewish American immigrants who permanently relocated to Israel – so they, too, can participate in the 2024 election.
The deadline to request absentee ballots is approaching for several battleground states. Of the about 420,000 Jewish Pennsylvanians, Diament said that some studying or living in Israel "could have an impact on the vote" in their communities around Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and even Scranton.
"Joe Biden won Pennsylvania in the last election by an 80,000 vote margin," Diament said. "So, you know, a shift in the American Jewish vote in Pennsylvania by, you know, several thousand or 10,000 or more votes could be very, very significant in this election."
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in January urged Americans living in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to check their voter registration to provide for enough time to participate in the upcoming 2024 federal elections. As the U.S. does not offer in-person voting at embassies or consulates abroad, U.S. citizens are encouraged to vote by absentee ballot if they cannot meet their state's in-person voting requirements.
At the time, the embassy noted how "many U.S. federal elections for the House of Representatives and Senate have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters."
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said all states are required to count every absentee ballot "that is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline."
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
10/23/2024
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[SDUT] The advance will help Japan to co-use one of the U.S.'s foremost military aircraft.
In a technical advance off San Diego, a U.S. Navy F-35B strike fighter landed on a Japanese aircraft carrier for the first time over the weekend, proving that the two allies can jointly use one of the world’s most sophisticated jets.
The short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft touched down on the JS Kaga on Saturday afternoon, the Navy said. The carrier arrived in local waters earlier this month for six weeks of developmental testing and exercises with the Navy and Marines.
The 814-foot Kaga is a destroyer that was converted into an aircraft carrier to help Japan better defend itself and to collaborate with the U.S., possibly in helping keep sea lanes open in the South China Sea.
China has said that it has the right to control marine traffic in that region, a claim rejected by President Joe Biden.
"This test does not merely enhance the capabilities of the (Japan) Maritime Self-Defense Force," Shusaki Takeuchi, the Kaga’s commanding officer, said in a statement. "It also improves the interoperability between Japan and the U.S., strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance, thereby contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
The Kaga had to paint its flight deck with heat-resistant material so that it can withstand the F-35B’s thrust engines, the Navy said.
Some defense analysts consider the F-35B is the stealthiest military aircraft in the world. This version of the plane is primarily used by the Marine Corps, which is part of the Department of the Navy.
The San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is currently carrying its own version of the plane — the F-35C — during operations in the Middle East.
Posted by: Frank G ||
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#1
China, "ohshitohshitohshitohshit"
I mean, it's not like the Japanese Navy has a history of operations involving carriers.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER] Lots of that going on in both directions as the political realignment continues. May she find this as happy a fit as those who made the change before her.
JUST IN: Tulsi Gabbard announces she is joining the Republican party at a Trump rally in North Carolina.
The move comes after Gabbard left the Democratic party, calling it an "elitist cabal of warmongers."
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:58 NATO cannot confirm the involvement of North Korean troops in the war in Ukraine on Russia's side and is waiting for information from South Korea, Secretary General Mark Rutte said. He added that an information meeting would be held at NATO early next week: "Then we will see whether North Korea really does or does not support the criminal Russian war in Ukraine. If this is confirmed, if they really send troops to Ukraine, this will mean a significant escalation."
19:16 The US and other G7 members have agreed on a loan to Ukraine by 99%, with repayment coming from income from frozen Russian assets, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
19:04 Ukraine has information about the training of two units of North Korean military in Russia, maybe even two brigades of 6,000 people, Zelensky said: "This is a challenge. But we know how to respond to this challenge. And it is important that our partners do not hide from this challenge. If North Korea can interfere in the war in Europe, then the pressure on this regime is definitely not enough. And if Russia can still make this war larger and longer, then everyone in the world who still does not help force Russia to peace is really helping Putin fight. Criminals must be stopped. We expect a tough, concrete reaction from the world. Preferably, not just words."
18:20 By the end of the year, Germany, with the participation of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, will fully staff one of the brigades of the Defense Forces, Zelensky said.
17:08 Zelensky reported that he held a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on the situation with medical and social expert commissions and abuses by officials of various government agencies in obtaining disability benefits.
"Many facts of violations and obviously false disabilities of officials have been established. The National Security and Defense Council has defined a list of decisions that will restore justice. I approved them by decree. But I believe that responsibility for the situation now should be personal. I have instructed the Prime Minister to solve the problem at the level of central executive authorities, in particular, the relevant ministries. Personnel decisions are needed. There should also be political responsibility of the Prosecutor General for the situation in the prosecutor's office of Ukraine," the President emphasized.
Following this, Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin announced that he had resigned.
16:57 Andrey Polukhin, the spokesman for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, denied the information from his colleague from the brigade's press service, Ivan Petrichak, that Russian troops have penetrated the Ukrainian line of defense in the area of Chasov Yar. "As we have said before, Russian small infantry groups are entering there. They enter and do not leave because they are blocked by our drones. The occupiers are there temporarily, our guys immediately drive them out... That is, this cannot be called a consolidation or a penetration, some kind of movement along the defense line," Polukhin explained.
16:39 In addition to ground troops, North Korea sent its pilots to Russia last month, South Korean TV Chosun reported, citing a local official. This could be related to training on Russian combat aircraft supplied to the DPRK, but it is also possible that Russia, which suffers from a catastrophic shortage of pilots, has asked for help. Newsweek notes that in this case, this would be the first overseas deployment of DPRK combat pilots since the Vietnam War.
15:46 The number of people wounded as a result of enemy shelling of Zaporizhia on October 21 has increased to 20, three people have died, reported the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
15:37 In the morning, Russians dropped a KAB-250 on a five-story building in Mirnograd, Donetsk region - one person is known to have died and two wounded, reported OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
15:33 Zelensky expects that partners will extend Ukraine an invitation to join NATO within internationally recognized borders. The President stressed that "no matter what path we take," legally "no one will recognize the occupied territories as territories of other states." The head of state also claims that Ukraine is not discussing NATO membership in exchange for territories.
According to Zelensky, most NATO countries support inviting Ukraine to the Alliance, but "we will have to work hard with Germany." The president reiterated that Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, and now "we need NATO, because we do not have weapons that can stop Putin."
15:21 Russians fired artillery at the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region: one person was killed in Marganets, another was wounded in Nikopol, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
14:49 Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine's population has fallen by nearly 10 million people, said Florence Bauer, the UNFPA regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She said a significant number of people have left the country, "the population is aging, and young people are looking for opportunities elsewhere and leaving."
Bauer notes that the birth rate in Ukraine was low before the war, and has now become one of the lowest in the world: about 1.0 children per woman, while 2.1 are needed to renew the population.
14:12 Russian troops have penetrated the Ukrainian line of defense in the area of Chasov Yar in Donetsk Oblast, but there is no talk of losing the city, said Ivan Petrichak, a spokesman for the press service of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo. According to him, the Russians used the change in weather to cross the canal, and now it is blocked. "Work on localization is ongoing, and now all the brigade's forces are set to destroy the occupier in the square where he is currently blocked," Petrichak said.
13:37 At a plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament supported the mechanism proposed earlier by the European Commission for allocating a loan to Ukraine in the amount of up to 35 billion euros, to be repaid from income from frozen assets of the Russian Federation. 518 deputies out of 635 who voted voted for the proposal, 56 voted against, and 61 parliamentarians abstained. Now the decision must be finally approved by the European Council.
12:45 Russian opposition publication Astra has shown yet another confirmation of the presence of North Korean troops in the Primorsky Krai of the Russian Federation. Journalists geolocated a video that, as its authors claim behind the scenes, shows the arrival of soldiers from the DPRK at a military base. This is likely military unit 44980 of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division in the village of Sergeyevka in Primorsky Krai. The barracks complex in the video is the newest in Primorsky Krai; it was opened in July 2022.
12:03 In occupied Energodar, a propane tank caught fire as a result of a drone attack on a gas station, said Gauleiter of the occupied part of Zaporizhia Oblast Yevhen Balitsky. He also reported one fatality. There is currently no electricity in the city.
11:56 North Korea's UN envoy called reports of troops being sent to Russia "baseless rumors" during a meeting of the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. Yonhap writes that this was the first public comment by a North Korean official after South Korean intelligence reported last week that about 12,000 North Korean troops had been sent to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine, of which 1,500 had already arrived in Vladivostok.
"My delegation does not consider it necessary to comment on such groundless stereotypical rumors aimed at denigrating the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate, friendly and partner relations between the two sovereign states," the North Korean representative said.
11:17 French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for a discussion on the deployment of "non-nuclear forces" in Ukraine after the end of the war. Commenting on Zelensky's "victory plan," the French minister noted that this is only "the beginning of the political path," and it is necessary to start thinking about what will happen next. "The idea of a ceasefire for Kiev raises the question of non-nuclear deterrence, which would prevent new Russian aggression, and this is an issue that needs to be discussed now," Lecornu said.
10:22 Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council Andrey Kovalenko stated that Russian distilleries are used to produce not only alcohol, but also fuel for military needs and explosives, so they are considered military facilities. According to Kovalenko, Ukrainian UAVs attacked four enterprises in Russia: Biokhim, Luzhkov Distillery, Yefremovsky Distillery, and an industrial enterprise in the Voronezh Region.
09:38 In the morning, Russians struck a public transport stop in the Dniprovsky district of Kherson with a UAV, one person was wounded, OVA reported. Over the previous day, nine people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling in the region.
09:27 At night, a Russian drone struck the village of Senkovo in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region, one person was injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
09:16 India has already returned 85 of its citizens who were recruited by Russia for the war in Ukraine, said the country's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. He added that India is working on returning at least 20 more of its citizens who are still fighting in the Russian Armed Forces.
09:05 Air defense destroyed 42 of 60 enemy UAVs (Shahed type and unspecified type) in Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions at night. Most of the attack drones were shot down in Sumy region, the Air Force reported. In addition, ten Russian drones were lost, one flew to Belarus, and three more - back to Russia. One enemy UAV remains in Ukrainian airspace, combat operations continue.
08:41 Four people were killed in Donetsk Oblast as a result of Russian shelling on October 21: two in Myrnohrad, one each in Kurakhovo and Novoukrainka. Five more people in the region were injured in the past 24 hours, said OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
08:29 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 22. At the same time, the total number of cruise missiles was adjusted, and the losses per day are presented in the usual mode:
personnel - about 681,580 (+1,350) people,
tanks - 9079 (+8),
combat armored vehicles - 18,199 (+24),
artillery systems - 19,623 (+34),
MLRS - 1234 (+2),
air defense systems - 981 (+2),
aircraft - 369 (+0),
helicopters - 329 (+0),
Operational-tactical level UAVs - 17,404 (+71),
cruise missiles - 2625 (+0),
ships/boats - 28 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 27,111 (+77),
special equipment - 3499 (+20).
08:12 The UK will provide Ukraine with a loan of 2.26 billion pounds sterling (about 2.93 billion dollars), which will be repaid from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. The British government said that Ukraine will be able to use these funds to purchase and develop air defense systems, artillery and other types of equipment and weapons.
07:47 Drones attacked several enterprises in Russia at night. Thus, in the city of Rasskazovo in the Tambov region, as a result of the attack, a fire occurred at the Biokhim enterprise, Governor Maxim Egorov reported. The fire has been extinguished, there are no casualties. The Biokhim plant produces various types of alcohol.
Tula Region Governor Dmitry Milyaev reported that the UAV attack damaged the premises of the Yefremovsky distillery and the distillery in the village of Luzhkovsky in the Suvorovsky District. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. Local residents also wrote about an attack on a thermal power plant in the Tula Region.
Voronezh Region Governor Alexander Gusev reported a fire at an industrial enterprise after a UAV attack. He did not specify what kind of enterprise. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian air defense destroyed 18 drones over the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Tula and Oryol regions overnight.
07:25 The number of victims as a result of yesterday's Russian strike on Zaporozhye has risen to 19, including an eight-year-old child, three people have died, said OVA head Ivan Fedorov.
07:08 At night, Russians struck a private residential sector in the city of Sumy with drones - three people were killed, including one child, OVA reported. In the morning, the enemy also struck a residential apartment building and critical infrastructure facilities, the consequences of the attack are being clarified. During the night, air defense forces have already shot down 25 "shahids" in the skies over Sumy region.
00:24 UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said after a meeting with Putin that he is ready to support efforts to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine. Reuters writes that the two leaders held an informal conversation at Putin's residence near Moscow. "We continue to make efforts through mediation in the exchange of prisoners. And I assure you that we will continue to work in this direction. We are ready to make any effort to resolve crises and in the interests of peace, in the interests of both sides," the UAE president emphasized.
00:16 South Korea is considering sending military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine, Newsweek reports. A South Korean intelligence official told local media that the personnel could conduct interrogations in Ukraine or provide translation services if North Korean soldiers are captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They would also provide Kiev with information on North Korean military tactics, doctrine, and operations. The South Korean Defense Ministry later said it would consider measures to possibly supply lethal weapons to Ukraine with an "open attitude."
[TennesseeConservativeNews] As part of a custody battle, a Tennessee judge ordered a family to vaccinate all three of their children, all of whom had never been vaccinated. Five-year-old Isaac immediately became ill and was eventually diagnosed with severe regressive autism.
It wasn’t until he enrolled his daughter in high school that, while obtaining her records from the local health department, he had a chance to view Isaac’s records. That’s when he saw that Isaac had received 18 vaccines in one day.
#2
Its the magic word “vaccine” which drug companies have carefully established as a social norm so that you have to opt out with difficulty
And on opting out it is seen as child abuse to not give children this “miracle of science”
But “miracle” is a religious word. Science has evidence not miracles.
And by the way, the coerced mRNA shots for covid are repurposed gene therapies, nothing at all like the traditional vaccines
The new mRNA gene-vaccines are way more dangerous and contaminated with DNA fragments from the manufacturing process where they are cooked up in huge vats of antibiotic resistant e.Coli bacteria which are broken open to release the mRNA. They cant clean all the waste DNA fragments out easily
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A Russian air force commander who was blamed for a devastating attack on a Ukrainian shopping centre has been found bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
Col Dmitry Golenkov, a senior officer in Russia's 52nd heavy bomber regiment, has been eliminated with a 'hammer of justice', Ukraine's military intelligence said.
Golenkov, whose body was discovered outside the village of Suponevo in Russia's Bryansk region, is accused of ordering the bombing of a shopping mall that killed at least 14 people in June 2022.
The Amstor mall, in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, was packed with civilians and Kyiv said there was no military target in the area.
Golenkov was also blamed for a bombing raid in Dnipro that killed 46 people in January 2023.
Ukraine said on Monday: 'A Russian Tu-22M3 pilot has been liquidated on the territory of the Russian Federation.
'His head was smashed with a hammer.'
Golenkov held the position of chief of staff of the aviation squadron, which meant he had an important role in the planning of strikes, Ukraine's military intelligence said, as first reported in The Telegraph.
'He was involved in missile strikes on Ukrainian civilian targets,' it said.
The commander ordered bomb attacks on Ukraine from his base in Kaluga.
A video, taken at night, shows the Russian pilot's body lying face down in shrubland, with his head drenched in blood.
At the time of the Kremenchuk attack, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: 'The Russian strike today on the shopping centre in Kremenchuk is one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history.'
Giant plumes of black smoke billowed from the shopping centre as it was engulfed in flames, as emergency crews rushed in and onlookers watched in distress.
Zelensky said the target presented 'no threat to the Russian army' and had 'no strategic value.'
He accused of Russia of sabotaging 'people's attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.'
Human interest stories at the link. Here’s the current situation:
[FoxNews] More than 50 people remain missing in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Nearly a month after Hurricane Helene devastated areas of the Southeast and killed more than 250 people, North Carolina residents are sleeping in tents where their homes once stood, even as temperatures drop to the 30s at night.
"The churches, the community, more than anything, have been some of the people who have helped the most. And it's been inspiring to know that we're not forgotten. The people are amazing," Weil said. "Their willpower and their love for other people is amazing. … They come in here in force and brought us everything we need. And they weren't going to leave until they knew we were all right."
Volunteers donated several tents to Weil and his dog, as well as a bike, food, a camping stove and propane. Emerge Ministries was able to find someone to donate a car to Weil so he can visit his girlfriend and newborn.
Shannon Martin Easley of Louisiana and Judy Norris of North Carolina are two volunteers with Emerge Ministries who have been helping Cody and others in the aftermath of Helene. The ministry has anywhere from 50 to 150 volunteers in the western North Carolina region "from all over the country" offering help "every day," Easley said.
"My uncle cleared a driveway for a man a few days ago, and he had not seen a human in 20 days," Easley said. "How many more are just like him?"
Volunteers from Ohio and Maryland also spoke with Fox News Digital in Swannanoa.
Martha Hershberger and her husband, Roy, of Shekinah Christian Fellowship in Ohio, have been serving hot meals under a tent in a parking lot off the main road in Swannanoa. She estimates that she and other volunteers have been serving between 1,500 and 2,000 meals per day.
A total of 26 North Carolinians remain missing in the wake of Helene. The storm caused widespread damage across seven states that will take years for some towns to recover from. Locals and volunteers compared Helene's devastation to a war zone.
He forgot not to say what at least some of them are thinking. To be fair, some on the other team are thinking the same about some of them. I read today that in some areas they’re seriously gearing up against the believed probability that there will be violence at the polls on Election Day.
Retiring President Biden stunned listeners Tuesday by saying his predecessor Donald Trump should be locked up — 14 days before the presidential election in which Trump is the Republican nominee.
"If I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up: We gotta lock him up," Biden, 81, said during a visit to a Democratic campaign office in Concord, NH, the Granite State’s capital.
After a four-second pause during which his audience enthusiastically applauded, Biden added in an apparent backtrack attempt: "politically, lock him up — lock him out, that’s what we’ve got to do."
A person close to Biden, who often misspeaks in public, told The Post that the president’s follow-up comment meant that he hadn’t intended to call for Trump to be incarcerated.
However, the president and his aides typically refrain from commenting at all on the four pending criminal cases against Trump, who contends that a quartet of local and federal indictments last year were politically motivated to aid Biden’s then-re-election campaign.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/23/2024
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] For over two years, Western countries have been trying to assess the size of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to export energy resources. In 2023, the European Union became the largest buyer of Russian liquefied gas, paying over €6 billion for it, RIA Novosti reported.
French Minister for Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention Agnès Pannier-Runacher said that the highest level of transparency in the supply chain is needed to eliminate Europe's growing dependence on Russian gas.
According to Bloomberg, Russia is “using a network of shell companies” from Dubai to China to transport gas from the Arctic LNG 2 plant. The publication said that the opaque ownership structure is a typical feature of a shadow fleet. Novatek rejected this claim, emphasizing that it does not engage in such activities.
"It is completely unclear how this is possible. There is no bank of gas samples, and it is difficult to track the movement of tankers. However, in any case, the tougher the sanctions, the more expensive hydrocarbons are for Europe," admitted independent industrial expert Leonid Khazanov.
According to Pavel Maryshev, a member of the expert council at the Russian Gas Society, the existence of a “shadow fleet” is needed by someone, first and foremost by those who speak out loudest against Moscow.
As reported by Regnum, Politico learned about the EU's plans to impose sanctions against Russian LNG. According to journalists, in January 2025, EU countries will begin actively developing a new 15th package. For now, Hungary is significantly slowing down discussions of this kind, since it chairs the EU Council. Then the presidency will pass to Poland, which is much more negatively disposed towards Russia, which will speed up the process of adopting new sanctions, the article noted. At the same time, there is currently an increase in the volume of purchases of Russian LNG by European countries, it may even exceed the figures for 2023, despite the 14th package of sanctions, which was aimed precisely at reducing the volume of Russian energy exports.
Russia, expecting the West to tighten sanctions on liquefied natural gas supplies, is increasing its "shadow fleet", the British newspaper The Financial Times wrote in July. It was specified that the situation with sanctions against Russian LNG is ambiguous, since the EU, fearing a global market failure and a sharp shortage of gas in gas storage facilities, did not introduce a complete ban on gas from Russia.
[RedState] Kamala Harris graduated from Howard University without honors. Harris then applied to law school. She was admitted to Hastings School of Law at the University of California. Hastings is considered a good law school but not “elite." It ranks 80th of America’s ABA schools.
Admission isn't a "breeze" but it is pretty easy to be accepted for an honors student, with a solid LSAT. Of the total applicants to Hastings, about half are accepted and around a third of that number actually enroll. That means Hastings is a “backup” law school for a lot of the applicants.
She wasn't an honors student at Howard. There is no information on what Kamala Harris scored on her LSAT. We do know that she didn't pass the Bar on the first try when 80 percent of her classmates did pass. So how did a run-of-the-mill student, and daughter of a “privileged” upbringing get into Hastings School of Law?
Easy – she fudged her application. Harris was admitted under a program called LEOP. According to the University:
UC Hastings created the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP) in 1969 to make an outstanding legal education accessible to those who come from disadvantaged economic and educational backgrounds.
Students are encouraged to submit a “separate LEOP statement describing the adversity they faced and its impact on their academic preparedness for law school. Diagnostic reports documenting disabilities and/or accommodations can be submitted as addenda.”
A Politico article from 2021 describes Harris at Hastings:
In the fall of 1986, Harris arrived on campus at Hastings a week before most of her classmates. She was part of the pre-orientation Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP), which had been founded in 1969 to help law students from disadvantaged communities navigate the stringent demands of the first-year curriculum. Harris had come to a predominantly white institution after four years at a historically Black university. Beyond introducing students to Socratic pedagogy, case-briefing and exam-taking, the pre-orientation also gave students of color a sense of community and a hamlet of solidarity in a cut-throat environment.
Harris, the daughter of two college professors, who grew up attending private schools in Canada, was not, in the least, economically or socially disadvantaged.
During Harris’s time at Hastings she was, according to her resume, president of the BLSA and thus likely sat in judgment of who would get into Hastings via LEOP. Hastings' dean found out that the committee that selected students was interviewing applicants. He said that he stopped the interview process because it became clear that it wasn't accepting students based on need (or in Harris’s case a lack of need), but based on political leanings.
When he asked a selector about asking political questions He didn’t like the answer:
One student at the meeting said “well, we don’t ask those questions; we likely would get Clarence Thomases.”
That comment confirmed the Dean’s worst fears. The interview process was stopped but it was obvious that the program was left-leaning and biased.
Courtesy of Mercutio, Que Mala's CV:
[X]
Also, many can rightly sense that Kamala’s a fraud:
CV for Kamala Harris - Sources linked & within below.
1981: 🚩Graduated High School in CANADA, where she grew up since the age of 12. 1981: Attended Vanier College in Montreal, for 1yr. 1982: 🚩Transferred to Howard…
… 1982: 🚩Transferred to Howard University, is held back.
1986: Graduated Howard University
🚩 No US Diploma & took 5yrs to complete a 4yr undergraduate degree.
🚩🚩Kamala got into law school through an affirmative action program called the Legal Education Opportunity Program. As the underachieving daughter of Professors, Kamala is a prime example of how AA was abused, and why it is illegal, today.
1987: 🚩#82 Law School in US
1988: 🚩#82 Law School in US
1989: Graduated from it: Hasting College of Law
1990: Staff Lawyer DAs office in Bay Area (all newbies are called eg “Assistant DAs” or “Deputy DAs”, etc.)
🚩FAILED Bar Exam and, after needing a do-over, eventually passed. NOTE: Kamala Harris was a below average law student & only 18% of her UC Hastings law classmates failed the bar that year.
1991: Staff Lawyer
1992: Staff Lawyer, then Employment is terminated.
1993: 🚩Began affair w/Willie Brown, twice her age.
(Finally registered to vote at Age 29, despite telling everyone she was an avid “feedumb” advocate since childhood.)
1994: 🚩Willie appointed her to high-paying job on Unemployment Insurance Board.
🚩Kamala had no Insurance Experience though, so the Press took notice of inappropriately appointing his mistress to public political positions & wrote about it, even in, eg, The Los Angeles Times, etc.
1995: 🚩Kamala quit that Board as Willie appointed her to a different high-paying 1 that required fewer hours & just once a month meetings - CA Medical Asst. Commission.
🚩Yet again, Kamala had no Medical or relevant Legal experience, though. More bad Press shared this truth.
1996: Nothing Else
1997: Nothing Else
1998: Willie sent her back to a Staff Attorney job, managing fine & fee processing, filing at CCU in SF for that DAs Office.
1999: 🚩Caught neglecting to properly file exculpatory evidence in George Gage case—led to 70 year prison sentence. Press was all over it.
2000: 🚩Had to leave there, so Willie sent her to work as a Staff Attorney at SF City Hall, working for city attorney Louise Renne, doing filing for child abuse & neglect cases.
2001: Same
2002: 🚩Lied about Prosecutorial Record. Press was all over it.
(🚩🚩Google Search shows no video, pics or any evidence of Kamala Harris actually prosecuting a case, talking to press after she did, etc., like normal DAs Office Attorneys do, etc., bc she never actually did.)
2003: 🚩NONETHELESS, powerful local politician & Mayor now, Willie Brown, admitted he miraculously helped get Staff Attorney Kamala elected as San Francisco DA!!
2004: 🚩Refused to seek death penalty for cop murderer.
2005: 🚩Refused to release records of sexually abusive Priests.
2006:
2007:
2008:
2009:
2010: Elected as CA AG by 0.5% margin.
2011: 🚩Withheld information leading to 600+ drug-related cases being tossed.
2012: } 🚩Threw 1,500+ people behind
2013: } bars over marijuana offenses
2014: } and refused early release of
2015: } prisoners bc of cheap labor.
2016: Elected to the CA U.S. Senate seat.
2017:
2018: 🚩Chanted “down, down with deportation” at parade w/hoaxter Jussie Smollett.
2019: 🚩Entered 2020 presidential race—dropped out over no support from her own State, due to her publicized abysmal history & lack of real experience.
[IsraelTimesj Moti Kahana, who led extractions of Jews and others in peril from Syria, Ukraine and beyond, says his firm can ensure secure distribution of assistance, prevent Hamas taking control of it
Israel is looking at hiring private subcontractors to secure and deliver humanitarian aid 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... so that it cannot be diverted by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... and other gangs, two Israeli officials confirmed to The Times of Israel on Monday.
While Israel has managed to significantly weaken Hamas since the start of the war, the terror group has been able to maintain a cash flow by taking control of the aid entering Gaza and profiting from its distribution, the Israeli officials said.
Some in the international community have pushed for the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority to be given responsibility for aid distribution as part of a broader effort to restore PA governance in Gaza, but the idea has been dismissed by the Israeli government, which now rejects the two-state solution model that the PA was established to advance. Israel briefly tried to empower local clan leaders in Gaza to manage aid distribution, but the effort fell apart almost immediately, as those community heads quickly found themselves under threat.
This has led Israel to consider hiring foreign subcontractors to distribute aid, with the security cabinet discussing the idea during a meeting on Sunday night, the officials said.
American-Israeli businessman and philanthropist Moti Kahana is hoping that his Global Delivery Company will be picked for the job, and GDC has already put together a plan that he says can be implemented in Gaza within 30 days.
Kahana has drawn attention for leading audacious missions to extract thousands of Jews and other people in peril from Syria, Iraq, 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... , Afghanistan and Ukraine, and he believes his successes can be replicated in Gaza.
Speaking to The Times of Israel on Monday, Kahana said he envisioned GDC being responsible for distributing aid from border crossings to specific towns in Gaza. He has been in touch with a British firm comprising former combat soldiers from Western militaries who would be charged with securing the convoys together with the communities receiving the assistance. He declined to reveal the identity of the security contractor before details have been finalized.
Kahana described GDC’s plan to build a "gated community" around the first town earmarked for receipt of humanitarian aid. He stressed that the community would not be a "ghetto" and that residents would be able to come and go as they please. However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... it would be protected by the GDC-subcontracted security firm and provide a safe location where locals would be able to receive aid without having to pay protection fees to Hamas or criminal gangs.
The formula’s success will spark the interest of surrounding communities, allowing the "gated community" concept to gradually be replicated across the Strip, he said.
Kahana predicted that the pilot program would require 100 staffers, most of whom would be connected to the private security subcontractor.
However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... he recognized that GDC is more likely to succeed if it hires Paleostinian locals. He said roughly 2,500 Paleostinians have already been vetted by the Israel Defense Forces and the PA for such work and that he would like to hire them.
"The GDC plan for Gaza is intended to respond to the reality that theft or diversion of assistance by Hamas, other terrorist groups or armed criminals is a major impediment to the delivery of humanitarian assistance," read a blurb from Kahana’s firm issued on Monday evening.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed hours earlier that armed gangs in Gaza have prevented aid from entering the Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
"GDC will work with a security company that has extensive experience in operating overseas with the highest standards of integrity, respect for human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... and cultural sensitivity," the release said. "Personnel working for our security sub-contractor are trained and equipped for non-lethal and lethal methods of crowd control. They are trained to use deadly force only as a last resort if their lives are in danger."
While far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have proposed tasking the IDF with distributing aid, the security establishment has pushed back on the idea, and the GDC statement argued that the Israeli army lacks the "training, equipment and discipline" for the matter.
Kahana said the project would cost $200 million for six months and quipped that the sum is far less than the $320 million that the US spent on a temporary aid pier, which it was forced to disassemble after less than two months due to weather-related damage.
The CEO of the New Jersey-based GDC said he has been working on this plan to deliver Gaza aid since the war broke out over a year ago and has been in regular contact with bigwigs from the IDF and Defense Ministry, who have been supportive. Nonetheless, a final approval from the government to launch the plan has remained elusive. Kahana has also submitted the plan to the White House and State Department but has not yet secured a meeting with officials in the Biden administration.
This has not deterred him from regularly advocating for GDC’s recruitment on his social media pages, which also feature significant criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... "If Netanyahu decides not to hire the best in the industry, which his own IDF has already worked with, because of my political views, then so be it... I cannot fake who I am... and I’m not going to change my political opinions for money," he said.
Kahana also claimed that launching the "gated community" pilot could lead to an opening in Israel’s long-deadlocked efforts to free the hostages.
"What I told then-war cabinet minister Benny Gantz was that when you get our team and supply in, you get information out," he said, pointing to his success in extracting civilians from Syria after his associates were able to enter the war zone there.
"There’s a good chance, based on what I successfully did in the past, that maybe I’ll be able to get one hostage out. My goal is to get one, and if I get one out, maybe I can do more," he said.
[ChroniclesMagazine] In early 2022 an undersea volcano in the south Pacific Tonga archipelago began a massive eruption. At its height the volcano disgorged 2.4 cubic miles of rock, ash, and sediment, generating the largest atmospheric explosion recorded by modern instruments and one expected to influence weather for up to five years. While the immediate cause of the eruption was a buildup of magma and gases, that buildup in turn was the result of deep shifts in the Earth’s tectonic plates—shifts that continued to produce earthquakes around the Pacific Rim this summer.
Not all volcanoes erupt so violently, and not all tectonic plate shifts produce ongoing disruptions on this scale. But when there is major resistance to the shifts, things can get a lot more disruptive.
Volcanic eruptions and plate shifts of either the violent or more gradual kind are a good metaphor for the radical changes of both American Revolution and for our political situation today: social, economic, and political grievances build up and, if not addressed, explode. Geophysical pressures arise from the deep dynamics of the Earth over millions of years. Our social and other pressures arise more locally but are influenced by shifts in technology that can, at times, verge on tectonic impact. Looking back at history, we can see how certain technological changes were essential in laying the groundwork for the ideological changes that followed. Such may be the case today as well.
To see the role of technology in the American Revolution, step back all the way to 1215. After the collapse of the Roman Empire a feudal system slowly emerged in Europe. Kings and aristocrats began to consolidate power that became inherited rather than earned generation to generation. But in England a group of powerful barons sought to place boundaries around royal power. The result was the Magna Carta, a document signed by the unpopular King John at Runnymede at the insistence of those rebel barons. That agreement limited arbitrary imprisonment, established church freedom from royal control, and guaranteed access to swift and impartial justice in the event of disputes. In essence the Magna Carta placed law and legal processes above the desires and power of the kings. At the same time, the English Parliament was established, giving representatives of various regions a formal role in lawmaking.
… It wasn’t easy. The colonial militias were up against a hardened, trained, professional army. By the winter at Valley Forge many had given up, and the situation was dire. But the leadership and, as Thomas Fleming shows in The Strategy of Victory the military strategy, of George Washington finally prevailed. How did that happen?
Two factors were key. First, the Declaration of Independence established a foundational position for the Revolution. This wasn’t simply a political dispute or a power play. What was at stake were the core rights inherent in humans as a result of Nature and Nature’s God: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. These were not things the Crown or Parliament could bestow or withhold, but inherent rights that demanded recognition and respect.
But there was a second factor that is much less well recognized, namely a tectonic shift in military technology that had been underway for two centuries. As Geoffrey Parker notes in The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500-1800, the adoption of gunpowder by the West fundamentally changed the nature of combat from what had been the norm for a millennium. Cannons on ships and ashore brought kinetic energy at a distance equivalent to many human attackers. Moreover, cannons could be towed by horses across long distances using only a few troops, positioned as needed, fired, and then moved again.
But even more tectonic was the development of individual firearms. Muskets rapidly gained widespread use among ordinary people. Along with the development of dog breeds such as Poodles, muskets allowed hunting and the retrieval of migratory waterfowl and other birds, thereby enhancing diets greatly—allowing people to grow in strength and independence. By the time of the Revolution many colonials owned firearms and knew how to use them.
The colonials began to employ their muskets using guerilla tactics honed by the Iroquois and other native tribes. Small groups of colonials attacked British troops, then slipped away into the woods and surrounding terrain. The resulting attrition of British forces made Washington’s larger battle encounters possible.
… Just as the colonials experienced a major technological shift when local people and communities acquired the means to present an unexpected challenge to the established power of their day, so, too, do we see a similar pattern emerging today. Now the same technology shift that has empowered an increasingly overt surveillance and control ecosystem has the potential to empower effective resistance to that power mass. Communication and computing technology allow people with shared interests and values to connect at a distance, to engage in commerce with one another without the intermediaries of large companies, to exchange insights and encouragement, and even to bypass centrally controlled currencies and other financial mechanisms.
The battle will not be easy and victory surely is not guaranteed. But there are several factors in our favor. First, a growing number of tech entrepreneurs see the danger and are pushing back—not only Elon Musk via X but also others who now are openly supporting and funding a coalition centered on the Trump-Vance election ticket. Groups like Turning Point USA are actively organizing ordinary citizens to vote. The move by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his running mate and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to endorse a unity ticket around Trump and Vance offers the possibility of setting aside policy differences in order to focus on an existential issue, the preservation of liberty. Principled journalists have left the mainstream media and are reaching viewers and readers via SubStack and other venues. Black leaders are openly aligning with this unity effort, acknowledging that the-powers-that-be have not aided their communities.
If we win this fight, we will see that rebuilding with new tech and new tools will open major possibilities in education, finance and more. To get there, however, we absolutely must set aside all tangential policy differences and focus instead on what is key for flushing out and cutting back the Beltway ecosystem. Be very clear: That ecosystem will not go down without a fight to the finish. We are very close to a Valley Forge winter of our own. But the means are there for potential victory if we keep our eyes on the key.
[BBC] This week in the city of Kazan President Putin will greet more than 20 heads of state at the Brics summit of emerging economies. Among the leaders invited are China’s Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The Kremlin has called it one of the "largest-scale foreign policy events ever" in Russia.
"The clear message is that attempts to isolate Russia have failed," thinks Chris Weafer, founding partner of consultancy firm Macro-Advisory.
"It's a big part of the messaging from the Kremlin that Russia is withstanding sanctions. We know there are severe cracks beneath the surface. But at a geopolitical level Russia has all these friends and they’re all going to be Russia's partners."
So, who are Russia's friends?
Brics stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The grouping, often referred to as a counterweight to the Western-led world, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia, too, has been invited to join.
What Moscow really wants from US election
The Brics nations account for 45% of the global population. Added together, members' economies are worth more than $28.5tn (£22tn). That's around 28% of the global economy.
Q: What did Communist countries use for light before candles?
A: Electricity.
[FoxNews] Cuba's government said it was working again to reestablish electrical service across the island after state-run media earlier on Saturday reported the national grid had collapsed for a second time in 24 hours.
The country's top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, said on a morning TV news program that another grid malfunction in western Cuba had forced technicians to begin anew connecting three important power plants to the system, temporarily stalling progress.
"I can not assure you that we will be able to complete linking the system today, but we are estimating that there should be important progress today," Guerra said.
Just prior to Guerra's statement, CubaDebate, one of the island's state-run media outlets, said the grid operator, UNE, had reported a "total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system."
Guerra did not directly confirm the total collapse, leaving some confusion as to what exactly had taken place.
Cuba's electrical grid first failed around midday on Friday after one of the island`s largest power plants shut down, suddenly leaving more than 10 million without power.
Even before the grid's collapse, an electricity shortfall on Friday had forced Cuba's communist-run government to send non-essential state workers home and cancel school classes for children as it sought to conserve fuel for generation.
But lights began to flicker on in scattered pockets across the island early in the evening on Friday, offering some hope that power would be restored.
Cuba's government has blamed weeks of worsening blackouts - often 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island - on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.
Strong winds that began with Hurricane Milton last week had also complicated the island's ability to deliver scarce fuel from boats offshore to feed its power plants, officials have said.
Fuel deliveries to the island have dropped off significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once key suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.
Key ally Venezuela slashed by half its deliveries of subsidized fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to search elsewhere for far more pricey oil on the spot market.
Cuba's government also blames the U.S. trade embargo, as well as sanctions under then-President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired plants.
The United States on Friday denied any role in the grid collapse in Cuba.
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.
...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm...
...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 
/\ Excellent find 3dc. I believe we are beginning to formulate a pretty accurate picture of Kamala. 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
[Front Page] On the last leg of her African tour, Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to an otherwise unremarkable office building in Zambia. Her staff and local embassy personnel had spent a great deal of time looking for it and everyone was hoping it was the right place.
First, Donald Trump, 78, is showing signs of deterioration that are far more expansive and disturbing than those that led Biden to end his campaign. Trump’s speeches are interminable and devolve into gibberish, misplaced syllables, ungoverned hate speech and wildly inappropriate vulgarities — all warning signs of mental decline.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
[Twitchy]
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
