[TurkiyeToday] Turkiye’s top foreign diplomat, Hakan Fidan, said Friday that the country’s primary issue with the U.S. is its stance on terrorism, particularly the terrorist organizations PKK and FETO.
The Kurds and the Gulenists.
In a live interview on Ottoman Turkish news channel A Haber, Ottoman Turkish FM Fidan addressed current foreign policy issues and Ankara’s efforts to enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism. He emphasized that the PKK and the hosting of FETO’s headquarters remain key obstacles in U.S.-Turkiye relations.
’WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT UNTIL THREAT ELIMINATED’
"Our problem with the U.S. is the terrorist organization PKK and the hosting of FETO’s headquarters," Fidan said. "We will continue to fight until the direct threat to us is eliminated."
…or until the far-below-replacement birthrate of the Turks leads to them being replaced by the positive birthrate Kurds, whichever comes first.
Fidan also noted that in the past year, the U.S. has engaged in open discussions at the foreign ministry level regarding the fight against terrorism. He pointed to regular meetings concerning the YPG, PKK’s offshoot in Syria, and said the U.S. has acknowledged Turkiye’s position.
That was the Biden-Harris administration, with whom the Trump administration will agree on almost nothing. And the Trump team takes over ina few weeks, so good luck with that.
"They see that there is no rational explanation for preferring another actor other than Turkiye in the region," he said.
Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas. Neo-Ottoman sultanate.
"Other powers in the region have understood our seriousness. We are pursuing a strategy of eliminating the capabilities of the threat without showing it across the border. We will continue to work on this issue," added Fidan.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the U.S., and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
’PRO-ISRAEL STANCE IS NOT A SURPRISE’
Fidan also commented on Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... ’s re-election as U.S. President, stating that President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... maintains good relations with Trump. He acknowledged there are ongoing issues with the U.S., but expressed optimism about managing them together.
"There are issues we need to take up with the U.S.," Fidan said. "We will try to manage the problems together."
Regarding Trump’s pro-Israel stance, Fidan noted that support for Israel has become a critical issue in U.S. domestic politics, adding that "Trump’s pro-Israel stance is not a surprise." He also referenced past actions during the Democratic administration, criticizing the handling of the Paleostinian issue.
"When the Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... were in power, we witnessed open genocide. We assume that negative developments will also occur under Republican rule," Fidan said. "If Trump focuses solely on the war in Ukraine and forgets about the Paleostinian issue, he will cause serious damage. Trump must stand by his word."
#1
"If Trump focuses solely on the war in Ukraine and forgets about the Paleostinian issue, he will cause serious damage. Trump must stand by his word."
This statement makes no sense. If Trump should focus on Israel and keep his election promises the Erdogan regime won't like the results.
Logically, they should urge Trump to ignore Israel and break his word.
[Rudaw] Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on Sunday announced the launch of a fresh operation against 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) cells in the western Anbar province, amid a countrywide effort to rid the country of the jihadists.
"The operation comes as part of a strategy to track down terrorist sleeper cells and prevent them from gaining any foothold by closing all security gasp in front of them in these areas," the PMF said on Telegram.
According to the statement, the campaign will mostly be centered on Anbar’s district of al-Qaim, near the border with Syria.
[TurkiyeToday] Istanbul police arrested 10 suspects in coordinated counterterrorism operations targeting groups linked to ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, formally known as the Nusra Front and other affiliated groups.
The Istanbul Counterterrorism Department initiated an operation against individuals suspected of ties with terrorist organizations ISIS, HTS and other affiliated groups.
Authorities identified suspects based on connections to conflict zones and their potential threat of planned activities in Istanbul.
SIMULTANEOUS RAIDS
The operations involved simultaneous raids at identified locations, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals, categorized as "foreign terrorist fighters." The suspects have been taken into custody for further investigation.
ADDITIONAL ARRESTS FOR FRAUD AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
During the raids, police also detained two individuals wanted for cyber fraud and five undocumented migrants colonists found at the targeted addresses.
[KhaamaPress] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... announced that the government is taking the detention of David Lavery,
…this is the first appearance of that no doubt worthy gentleman in Rantburg’s pages. May he soon be released unharmed….
a former Canadian soldier, by the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... very seriously.
Trudeau added that consular assistance has been provided to Lavery’s family. The Taliban detained Lavery last week.
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, Trudeau responded to questions about Lavery’s case, stating, "I can assure you that the Government of Canada takes this situation very, very seriously." He declined to provide further details.
Canadian media outlet CTV News reported on Saturday, citing its sources, that David Lavery was detained by the Taliban last Monday after arriving at Kabul Airport on a flight to Afghanistan.
Lavery has been traveling to Afghanistan for years, offering consulting services through his private security company in Kabul. He was well-known in the region for his work and frequent visits.
According to a source cited by CTV News, the Taliban had been aware of Lavery’s presence and activities in Afghanistan for several years prior to his arrest.
Global Affairs Canada, which handles the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, confirmed to CTV News that they are "aware of an incident involving a Canadian in Afghanistan" and are closely monitoring the situation.
David Lavery, known as "Canadian Dave" in Afghanistan, was the only Canadian to remain at Kabul International Airport during the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021. His presence and actions during this tumultuous time, including helping over 100 Afghans evacuate, earned him recognition.
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Defense Forces says it shot down a UAV fired "from the east," after sirens were activated in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
The IDF generally uses "from the east" to denote projectiles launched from Iraq.
The military says the air force downed the drone before it entered Israeli territory.
It does not comment on videos appearing to show a failed interceptor rocket falling in the city.
The United Hatzalah rescue service says it is treating a number of people seeking help for acute anxiety following a drone alert that sounded in Eilat.
The Magen David Adom rescue service says it is also responding to a call related to the attack, but that it does not yet have any details on possible casualties.
The launch is claimed by the Islamic Resistance® in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, which claims it targeted a "vital asset" in the Eilat area.
[IsraelTimes] Families of American victims of the October 7 attacks led by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... have filed suit in a US federal court against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and an array of linked terror groups, presenting what they say is new proof of Tehran’s involvement in the attack, according to a lawyer representing several plaintiffs.
The suit, which has been seen by The Times of Israel, relies on what attorneys for the plaintiffs say are secret documents uncovered by lawyer Gary Osen showing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps funneling millions of dollars to Hamas.
The complaint also includes a document from a 2022 meeting of senior Hamas members Yahya Sinwar, Khalil al-Hayya and others plotting out the contours of mutual defense agreement between Hamas and other Iran-backed groups should war break out. The paper includes a decision to request Iran send Hamas $7 million monthly "to mobilize and prepare for ... confrontations."
According to the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , the $7 million monthly was sought to ready for the October 7 attack.
Aside from Iran and the IRGC, the suit also names Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine.
While the documents include references to funding for Hamas from Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , neither US ally is named in the suit. Also left out are 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... ’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels, who were taken off the US’s terror blacklist by the Biden administration.
Many of the victims in the suit were killed or kidnapped on October 7, though other plaintiffs include families from southern Israel who suffered emotionally during or after the attacks. Families of several soldiers killed in combat are also named.
Among the 37 families of victims in the suit is Yechiel Leiter, who is set to become Israel’s ambassador to the US. Leiter’s son Moshe Leiter was killed in battle 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... in late November 2023.
The suit seeks unspecified financial awards for the families under the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Times of Israel has considerably more on the subject here.
[IsraelTimes] A suspected attack by 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... ’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels targeted a commercial ship late Sunday night traveling through the southern reaches of the Red Sea, though it caused no damage nor injuries, authorities say.
A ship’s captain saw that "a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel" as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says in an alert.
The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen’s port city of Mocha.
"The vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to its next port of call," the UKMTO adds.
The Houthis do not immediately claim the attack. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis. If Majority Leader Schumer does…
#3
Hearing a lot of bullshit about AIPAC being forced to register as a foreign agent.
Trump has really legitimized Antisemitism in American politics. It's been released and is suddenly acceptable. Trump has much to answer for.
#4
Trump has really legitimized Antisemitism in American politics. It's been released and is suddenly acceptable. Trump has much to answer for
were you perhaps dropped on your pointed little head repeatedly as a child?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/18/2024 13:14
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#5
Bullshit is right. He missed the last four years, Frank G. Including all the Biden voters marching on elite campuses across America, screaming about internationalizing the Intifada from the river to the sea while they prevented Jewish students from going to class or participating in class once they arrived. Hedge fund multi-billionaire philanthropist Bill Ackman not only pulled that huge donation to Harvard over their tolerance of violent Jew-hate, but took that money, gave it to Israeli universities, and funded a program for Jewish kids to do a Hebrew immersion so they could transfer to Israel, where they could study in safety.
But when you live in a Romanian or Canadian or Russian boiler room, you can’t be blamed for having a blinkered view of events.
[IsraelTimes] Victims, Israeli officials, some Dutch leaders blamed local Arab and Muslim gangs; others in Holland refer to ‘youths on scooters’ and ‘taxi drivers,’ highlight Israeli hooliganism
As the controversy over references to the religion and ethnicity of the scores of mostly young people who attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans in Amsterdam on November 7 rocks the nation and even threatened to bring down the ruling coalition on Friday, two political debates on the subject were held in the past few days — one in the capital and one in the seat of parliament.
The first debate, dominated by left-wing parties, was held in the Amsterdam city council on Tuesday. The other took place the following day in the Second Chamber, the main body of the Dutch national parliament in The Hague.
In Amsterdam’s city hall (dubbed the Stopera, since it doubles as an opera house), with the help of center-left, far-left, and Islamist parties, Mayor Femke Halsema easily survived a no-confidence vote requested by right-wing opposition party JA21.
At that debate, the religious and ethnic backgrounds of the youths who attacked Israeli fans in the streets of the Dutch capital were mentioned only by a handful of center-right and right-leaning council members. There were frequent references, however, to genocide in Gaza and Islamophobia as causes for the unrest in the capital — though no Muslims were targeted in Amsterdam before, during, or after the attacks.
Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the November 7 violence carried out by local Arab and Muslim gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, after a soccer match in the city. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.
One councilwoman, Nilad Ahmadi of the far-left and staunchly anti-Zionist party Vonk (meaning “Spark”), blamed Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency for the violence.
Overall, even though some council members warned against open antisemitism and were apprehensive about the fate of Dutch Jews, the blame was squarely shifted toward purported Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans. This fits the narrative of the country’s major newspapers and television stations in the last few days, as well as remarks by Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla.
Similarly, a preliminary police timeline extensively referred to the “provocations” of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters — most notably the removal of a Palestinian flag from the façade of a house in Amsterdam’s city center and the chanting of racist slogans including “Fuck the Arabs” on the way to the game versus local club Ajax.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel and subsequent conflict in Gaza, desecrating Israeli flags at protests has become a common occurrence in the Dutch capital.
Flags for me but not for thee, O Cancer Joooos.
The emphasis on provocations, hate speech, and violence on the Israeli side is in stark contrast with initial reports by the mayor and local law enforcement. These clearly laid the blame on those who were labeled “youths on scooters” and “taxi drivers” who carried out “hit-and-run” attacks on individuals or small groups of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.
These terms are widely seen as euphemisms that avoid mentioning the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrators of the violence, or the scale and organization of what many in the Dutch-Jewish community have dubbed a “pogrom.”
“I don’t think their mode of transportation or job description is the defining aspect of these groups,” Kevin Kreuger, a council member for JA21, told The Times of Israel. “There was clearly an Islamic motive behind the attacks.”
Kreuger lamented the unwillingness to name the attackers by their background and motive, which he described as “Jew-hatred driven by Islam.”
“Everybody saw the videos, heard the attackers speak Arabic. It’s like they are a group we need to feel sorry for and protect,” Kreuger said.
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE HAGUE
The debate in the Dutch parliament concentrated on rising antisemitism within the country’s sizeable Muslim minority and the radical left, as progressive parties blamed “extreme right-wing provocations” for the violence rocking the capital.
Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the center-right liberal party, brings a unique perspective to the events in Amsterdam. She served as justice and security minister under former prime minister Mark Rutte, fought antisemitism as an MP, and started her political career on the Amsterdam city council.
Yesilgoz was born in Ankara and is the daughter of Turkish immigrants. Like Kreuger, she noticed a tendency among left-leaning parties to avoid mentioning the ethnic or religious background of the attackers of November 7.
“It’s bad enough that Jewish institutions like schools and synagogues need to be protected, but now youths are demanding to see citizens’ papers to check if they are Israeli or Jewish. If they are, they get beaten up,” Yesilgoz told The Times of Israel.
“This is an absolute low point for Amsterdam and an example of bad integration of migrants into Dutch society. The attackers were probably of Moroccan background, and police are investigating this,” she claimed.
Yesilgoz said such tiptoeing around identity has been a frustrating experience throughout her career.
“I can speak freely about antisemitism among the extreme left and right, but as soon as I mention Islam as a motive, everybody freezes up and starts talking about exclusion and Islamophobia,” said Yesilgoz. “But how can you fight the problem if you’re not allowed to talk about it?”
Moroccan-born Nora Achahbar quit on Friday as junior finance minister after prominent ministers accused Dutch youths of Moroccan descent of attacking the Israeli fans, local media NOS cited sources in the cabinet session as saying. “Achahbar reportedly indicated then that she, as a minister, had objections to certain language used by her colleagues,” NOS stated.
The new center-right Dutch government has, however, announced that it wants to treat violent antisemitic assaults as terrorism, which under Dutch law makes it possible to strip the perpetrators of their Dutch citizenship as long as they own a passport from a different country. This can have an impact on the country’s many Moroccan immigrants and even their children and grandchildren.
WHEELS OF JUSTICE BEGIN TO TURN
On Tuesday night, the images of five youths who “committed the most serious violence” during the attacks were shown on Dutch television for the first time — albeit with their faces blurred to give them a chance to come forward on their own. Two were subsequently taken into custody; unblurred pictures of the other three were then made public by the police.
Dutch police said Sunday they were probing 45 people for violent crimes in relation to the attacks, with nine of them already identified and arrested.
It became clear very soon after the attacks that their instigation was to a large extent premeditated, as messages in several WhatsApp groups associated with the attackers instigated violence, even describing a “Jew hunt.”
Even before November 7, street gangs of largely third-generation Moroccan immigrants were notoriously quick to commit acts of violence against police, members of the LGBTQ community, and occasionally what is known in the Netherlands as “visible Jews” (Dutch links). Because there are few ultra-Orthodox Jews in the Netherlands, verbal and physical violence is often directed at rabbis, who can be recognized as Jewish by their mode of dress.
Unlike the Islamist perpetrators of terror from earlier in the century — most infamously Mohammed Bouyeri, the murderer of Islam-critic Theo van Gogh — these current street gangs are generally not politically educated or especially religious (Dutch link). Preliminary reports do not indicate any foreign hand in the violence, and it is not expected that investigations will find a sophisticated level of organization or financing for the attacks.
However, the ongoing war in Gaza has likely only increased antisemitism that, according to several research projects (Dutch link) over the last few decades, is much more common in Muslim families than in other Dutch religious and ethnic groups.
Many Moroccan households receive their news on the Israel-Hamas conflict through satellite television stations in North Africa and the Middle East. Teachers in the Netherlands’s bigger cities often find it difficult to speak neutrally about the wars in Gaza and Lebanon to their Muslim students, who in some areas of Amsterdam form a majority in their classrooms.
Although the city was home to the famous young Holocaust diarist Anne Frank before she perished at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, history teachers frequently find themselves unable to teach lessons on the Holocaust because of racist and sometimes aggressive reactions by their students.
LOCAL JEWS NEXT?
David Beesemer, chairman of Maccabi Netherlands and Europe, says Dutch Jews are “gravely concerned” that they will be targeted next.
“Now that there are no Israelis to hunt in Amsterdam, what will stop this horde from marching into Buitenveldert?” he asked, referring to an affluent Amsterdam suburb with a large number of Jews.
Beesemer was one of the community leaders who overnight on November 7-8 organized “rescue missions” to evacuate stranded Israelis from the city center and take them to safe houses and the airport, where they were repatriated by planes that were especially sent from Israel.
“Every day we are contacted by scared members of the community who feel like they are living a nightmare,” said Beesemer. “Community leaders are trying to keep a brave face, but the pressure on Dutch Jews is enormous. The day after the ‘hunt,’ hateful protests continued, as did the Gestapo-like ID-checks and assaults.”
Even as late as Wednesday last week, Dutch police detained 281 anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters rallying in central Amsterdam in defiance of a ban imposed after violence against Israeli soccer fans. Dozens of demonstrators, some with Palestinian flags, chanted “Amsterdam is saying no to genocide” and “Free Palestine.”
“It’s a disgrace that the city of Anne Frank has become world news because of violent antisemitism and the city council’s priority seems to be to blame Israelis or the government in The Hague,” said Yesilgoz, leader of the center-right liberal party. “Damn it, I’m a citizen of Amsterdam. Show me you can and want to guarantee my safety. Show us at least that you care.”
#1
If you refuse the acknowledge your attacker, your blanket party is totally voluntary.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/18/2024 7:25
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#2
Srebrenica massacre comes home when a UN Protection Force contingent of 370 lightly armed Dutch soldiers failed to deter the town's capture and subsequent massacre.
[IsraelTimes] Dutch police say 9 people have been identified and arrested; number of suspects still expected to increase, based on analysis of security footage
Dutch police said Sunday they were probing 45 people for violent mostly peaceful crimes in relation to violence against Israeli soccer fans following a match in Amsterdam earlier this month, with nine of them already identified and arrested.
"Because of the seriousness of the crimes, but also because of the social impact, we immediately scaled up to a special investigation team," Dutch police chief Janny Knol said in a statement.
Police are "looking at all crimes committed in the run-up to the game and in its aftermath," Knol said after violence in the Dutch capital before and after the Europa League match between Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7 shook the country, resulting in several protests and a near-government collapse.
The number of suspects is expected to increase "based in part on the analysis of a large amount of footage," police added.
Israeli officials said 10 people were maimed in the Thursday night violence carried out by local Arab and Moslem gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans.
Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel slogans, while they hunted, beat and harassed them.
After the game, youths on scooters engaged in "hit-and-run" assaults on Maccabi fans, Dutch officials said. Some social media posts had included calls to "hunt Jews," according to police.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the attacks amounted to "unadulterated antisemitism."
Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla said that, before the match, Maccabi fans burned a Paleostinian flag, attacked a taxi and chanted anti-Arab slogans. Footage of the incidents was also widely circulated on social media.
"The investigation is in full swing," Knol said on Sunday.
"It goes without saying, but I think it is good to emphasize that we are looking at all crimes committed in the run-up to the game and in its aftermath. Regardless of who the perpetrator or who the victim was," Knoll added.
Moslem rights groups condemned the antisemitism, but have argued that the violence in Amsterdam was not one-sided.
Schoof last week blamed the violence on people with "migrant backgrounds."
On Friday night, Schoof’s right-wing government coalition narrowly avoided collapse with crisis talks after junior minister Nora Achahbar resigned over alleged racist comments made by cabinet colleagues relating to the attacks.
The coalition is led by the anti-Moslem populist PVV of Geert Wilders, which came top in a general election a year ago. It was installed in July after months of tense negotiations.
Wilders has repeatedly said Dutch youth of Moroccan descent were the main attackers of the Israeli fans, although police have given no details about the background of the suspects.
Wilders last Wednesday blamed Moroccans for attacks on Israeli soccer fans, claiming that "we saw Moslems hunting Jews" and added it was fueled by "Moroccans who want to destroy Jews." He said those convicted of involvement should be deported if they have dual nationality.
Schoof strongly denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! of racism among coalition members and tried to allay concerns following emergency talks.
Addressing "the incidents in Amsterdam last week," Schoof said: "There is a lot of upheaval in the country. It was an emotional week, a heavy week and a lot has been said and a lot happened."
Ceremonial Objects
"Divans...
And some scimitars wielded by Jans
In defense of Islam,
And a suicide balm...
And this very rich niche
Holds the bones of a snitch
Who sold out some old bitch.
More Korans..."
31 Syrian Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast
The Libyan Stability Support Agency announced the rescue of 31 Syrian migrants off the coast near Suwai’diyah Beach in the Salloum area after their boat capsised. Among the rescued, 25 were in good health, four received critical medical care in intensive care units, and two unfortunately succumbed despite rescue efforts.
The agency reported that after receiving information about the presence of migrants at sea, Al Khoms office responded swiftly. They rescued the migrants and brought the capsised boat ashore.
The boat was subsequently destroyed by fire due to the inability to identify its owner and based on migrants’ claims that they had purchased it. This measure was taken to prevent its future use.
Legal procedures were followed, and the migrants were handed over to the relevant authorities for further processing.
Nigerian Migrants Deported by Libyan Authorities
The Libyan Department for Combating Illegal Migration recently deported a group of migrants, including seven Nigerians, three Bangladeshis, and three Ghanaians, for violations of Libyan law. The agency confirmed on social media platform X that the individuals had been held at the Qanfoudah Immigration Detention Centre before being flown out via Benina International Airport in Benghazi.
This deportation incident follows recent tensions between Nigeria and Libya, stemming from an incident involving the countries’ football teams during the qualifiers for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). Disputes arose after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) claimed that Nigerian players were stranded at a Libyan airport.
In response, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) alleged similar treatment for their own players in Nigeria. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) reviewed the matter, concluding that Libya had breached AFCON regulations and CAF’s disciplinary code. Subsequently, CAF penalised Libya by awarding Nigeria a 3-0 victory, even though the match was not played after Nigeria’s decision to withdraw.
Following CAF’s ruling, rumours began to circulate about mass arrests of Nigerians in Libya, with some suggesting these were reprisals. However, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly refuted these claims, dismissing any large-scale targeting of Nigerian nationals by Libyan authorities.
Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Libyan Coast
Libya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service has reported that a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Al Khums early today, with efforts underway to rescue those on board. The service said its emergency teams were quickly dispatched from Al Khums, Msallata, Qarabulli, and Qasr Al-Akhyar to respond to the incident and conduct search and rescue operations.
The authorities have not yet disclosed the number of people on the vessel or confirmed any casualties or survivors. Rescue workers are reportedly navigating difficult conditions to reach potential survivors and continue their efforts along the coast.
Libya remains a significant transit point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, often in unsafe and overcrowded boats. The increased migrant flows and dangerous conditions have led to numerous maritime accidents in recent years. Libya’s coastal regions, particularly areas like Al Khums, frequently witness similar incidents, prompting repeated calls for enhanced rescue capabilities and greater international assistance.
Egyptian Migrants Deported from Libya
The Libyan Anti-Illegal Migration Authority announced on Wednesday the deportation of Egyptian migrants via the Imsaad Land Crossing. In a statement on its social media page, the authority confirmed the migrants’ removal due to violations of entry laws and regulations governing entry to Libyan territory. While the exact number of deported individuals was not disclosed, the authority indicated that deportation efforts are ongoing.
In a related context, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on July 23 that over 80,000 migrants have been voluntarily repatriated from Libya to their home countries since 2015 through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return program. The IOM has facilitated the return of migrants from 49 different countries across Africa and Asia, ensuring they receive necessary assistance upon arrival in their home countries. This support includes comprehensive reintegration aid, such as economic, social, and psychosocial assistance to help migrants rebuild their lives.
Libyan Security Forces Foil Human Trafficking Attempt to Europe
On Tuesday, Libyan security forces detained 90 migrants in Sabratha who were allegedly about to be smuggled to Europe by a human trafficking gang. The migrants, from various African nations, were discovered in a hideout used as a staging point for illegal crossings of the Mediterranean.
Sabratha, a city in western Libya, is frequently used by traffickers as a key launch site for unauthorized migration to Europe. Libyan authorities have intensified efforts to intercept these operations, with ongoing arrests in areas where trafficking is prevalent. These interventions underscore the challenges Libya faces in managing migration routes and curbing human trafficking from its borders.
According to the Sabratha Security Directorate, the successful raid was carried out by intelligence and patrol units who acted on a tip-off, detaining the migrants before they were taken to the coast. Legal actions have been initiated against those involved in the smuggling network, and the migrants have received the necessary care and assistance.
In a separate incident, Libya’s Interior Ministry reported that security patrols rescued 13 African migrants who were found stranded in the Hamada Al-Hamra desert. The migrants, who had lost their way in the vast desert, were provided with medical care and transported to a safe location.
Libya’s expansive deserts pose severe risks for migrants attempting remote border crossings. Authorities have previously recovered the remains of migrants who perished after becoming lost in these harsh conditions, highlighting the dangers faced by those seeking to enter Libya through isolated routes.
[IsraelTimes] After flares fired at PM’s home, his allies accuse Baharav-Miara of inaction against anti-government violence; Karhi is slammed for invoking Jewish saying about attempted murder
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara faced renewed calls for her dismissal on Sunday as members of the government attacked her for perceived leniency toward anti-government protesters, after flares were fired the previous evening in the vicinity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.
The calls for her ousting also came on the heels of her opposition to a government proposal to regulate retirement packages for government legal advisers and compel those who have served more than seven years to retire before the end of 2024. A legal opinion published by the Attorney General’s Office on Sunday warned that such a move could be intended to remove officials who act "as gatekeepers" due to "foreign" considerations.
In an incendiary post on X, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who has clashed with Baharav-Miara in the past, called for her to be fired while invoking principles of Jewish law associated with attempted murder to justify his position.
Accusing the embattled attorney general of failing to tackle violence and incitement from anti-government protesters, Karhi alleged that Baharav-Miara was "sitting with her arms crossed, granting them legitimacy and refusing to stop this dangerous deterioration."
Her perceived failure to act against the "lawlessness" of anti-government protesters was bringing Israel "closer by leaps and bounds to disaster — the liquidation of the prime minister," Karhi added.
Three prominent anti-government protesters were arrested overnight in connection to the firing of flares at Netanyahu’s residence.
"The attorney general must go home today," Karhi reiterated. "If someone comes to kill you — including through weakness and agreement through silence — rise up and fire them," he said, paraphrasing a line from the Talmud about self-defense: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill them first."
Karhi’s words were met with outrage from opposition politicians, including Opposition Leader Yair Lapid who accused the communications minister of "openly inciting murder against the attorney general," and called for him to be fired.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel accused Karhi of "crossing a dangerous red line" and warned that his statement was "serious incitement against the gatekeepers of Israeli democracy."
The watchdog called on Netanyahu to condemn Karhi’s "violent mostly peaceful and dangerous rhetoric."
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amihai Chikli similarly slammed Baharav-Miara, claiming that she was preventing the rule of law from being implemented equally across Israeli society.
In a post on X, Chikli demanded the "immediate impeachment" of the attorney general, who he said has caused "unprecedented damage to the rule of law and public order."
"In her serial disregard of wild incitement, she is a silent accomplice," Chikli wrote, adding that "the State of Israel cannot afford to have an anarchist in the post of legal adviser."
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Don Smilzo looked for an avenue of escape. The only window opened a hundred feet above the moat. The nearest of the hired assassins hold a bloody axe.
The window was looking better all the time.... in an interview with the Haredi Kikar HaShabbat news outlet, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem claimed that the anti-government protesters had illegally acquired the flares thrown at Netanyahu’s home "under the auspices of Miara."
"The next step will be a light missile, or maybe a mortar," the firebrand ...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments... politician posited.
"She is essentially the most dangerous person to the State of Israel," Amsalem continued. "She allows the left to run wild, to do whatever it wants. She gets in our way in the government. She’s forbidden almost 50, 60, 70 decisions — including laws. She calls herself the law."
The vitriol against Baharav-Miara spilled over from social media and into the government’s weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday as well, following the attorney general’s opposition to the move that would cap the term limit of a government legal adviser at seven years.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the move being discussed would pave the way for the ouster of seven ministerial advisers, among them Finance Ministry Legal Adviser Asi Messing, who has clashed with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Other legal advisers who would find themselves out of a job by the end of 2024 include those in the welfare, education, immigration and absorption, diaspora affairs, agriculture, and social equality ministries.
While the proposal would not impact Baharav-Miara in the immediate future as she entered her post in 2022, cabinet ministers nevertheless took the opportunity to call for her dismissal during a heated debate on the matter.
Amsalem accused the government’s legal advisers of being "gangsters," while Justice Minister Yariv Levin claimed that they had acted in "breach of trust for 15 years," by not complying with a 2009 government decision, in line with the findings of the inter-ministerial Abramovich Commission, to limit their terms to seven years; it was never implemented.
Netanyahu has served as prime minister since the time of the Abramovich Commission, with the exception of a short-lived power-sharing government headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid from June 2021 to December 2022.
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Don Smilzo looked for an avenue of escape. The only window opened a hundred feet above the moat. The nearest of the hired assassins hold a bloody axe.
The window was looking better all the time.... far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took the opportunity to air his oft-uttered grievances about the attorney general, and agreed with Levin that the conduct of the legal advisers was "illegal."
"But," he continued, "you are missing the point — the legal counsel has declared war on the government."
"You can see it in the handling of the incitement against the prime minister, the abject incompetence in the conduct of the [Eli] Feldstein case, and in fact in everything they have accused us of," he said. "Pay attention, my fellow ministers, to what they are asking the prime minister to fire me for: because I backed our soldiers, because I spoke against [Hadash-Ta’al MKs] Ahmad Tibi and Ofer Cassif, because I criticized the courts."
"Today, it’s me; tomorrow, it’s the prime minister," Ben Gvir claimed.
The attorney general told Netanyahu last week that Ben Gvir’s tenure must be reevaluated in light of his repeated and ongoing interventions into operation police matters and his politicization of police promotions, and not, as Ben Gvir suggested, because he had "backed our soldiers."
Netanyahu himself described Baharav-Miara’s conduct as "combative" during a cabinet meeting earlier this month, and asked Levin to come up with a "solution" to deal with her, prompting outrage.
His office later attempted to walk back his comments somewhat, saying that the attorney general’s role is to "assist the government in implementing the government’s decisions and promoting bills on its behalf, and not the other way around."
[IsraelTimes] The cabinet voted Sunday to implement a resolution that would force the retirement within the next 90 days of ministerial legal advisers who have served for more than seven years, despite opposition to the move by the Attorney General’s Office.
According to Hebrew media, the move would pave the way for the ouster of seven ministerial advisers, most notably Finance Ministry Legal Adviser Asi Messing, who has clashed with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
In a legal opinion Sunday morning, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s office stated that the government’s move was concerning because it could mean that it intends to remove officials who act as “gatekeepers.”
Cabinet ministers ultimately rejected the opinion, attacking the stances taken by current legal advisers during a heated cabinet meeting, according to quotes reported by Hebrew media outlets.
”But you have to let us uninvite them — Jews are icky!”
[IsraelTimes] Appeal filed after Paris court rules in favor of Israeli firms; Israel Manufacturers’ Association vows to fight attempt to bar defense firms ahead of Paris Air Show in June 2025.
The French government has filed an appeal to challenge the authority of a court ruling allowing Israeli companies to participate in major defense exhibitions and arms shows.
In the appeal, the French government is challenging the authority of a Gay Paree court to rule on matters of government policy in an attempt to annul a recent decision to permit Israeli companies to exhibit at current and future exhibitions in La Belle France, the Israel Manufacturers’ Association said.
The move comes after the Gay Paree Commercial Court at the end of October ruled that the Euronaval arms show cannot keep Israeli companies from exhibiting at the event based on their nationality, and ordered organizers "to suspend the execution of the measures adopted against the Israeli exhibiting companies." That’s after French President Emmanuel Macron had decided to ban Israeli firms from exhibiting at the naval arms show.
"We will not allow anyone to remove us or sideline us from the international defense stage," said Israel Manufacturers’ Association President Ron Tomer. "It is clear to us that the latest appeal is an attempt to prepare the ground for the possibility of preventing us from participating in the prestigious Gay Paree Air Show, but we will not let that happen."
"We have recruited the best lawyers in La Belle France and will fight in any legal court until justice and equality prevail," Tomer added.
The Gay Paree Air Show, which is taking place in June 2025 at La Belle France’s Gay Paree—Le Bourget Airport, is held every other year and is considered one of the largest and most important in the world. Israel’s national pavilion at the 2023 Gay Paree Air Show included 17 Israeli companies displaying their technologies in the fields of air defense systems, drones, radar and laser technologies, and missile warning systems. Israeli companies exhibiting at the pavilion include Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The attempted ban from Euronaval, which took place in early November, was the second time this year that La Belle France tried to exclude Israeli firms from a major defense show, and had the decision struck down by the Gay Paree Commercial Court.
[IsraelTimes] Mohammed Afif targeted at Syrian Ba’ath Party offices; military carries out new wave of strikes in terror group’s Dahiyeh stronghold; drone apparently launched from Iraq shot down
An Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on a building in a central neighborhood of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday reportedly killed the top front man for the Hezbollah terror group.
Two Lebanese security sources told Rooters that Hezbollah’s media relations chief Mohammed Afif was killed in the strike on the Ras al-Naba’a neighborhood. A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, confirmed this to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately issue a comment on the strike.
Unlike dozens of other Israeli attacks carried out in Beirut this past week, the strike killing Afif was not carried out in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.
The building where Afif was targeted housed the offices of the Syrian Ba’ath Party, Lebanese media reported. The IDF did not issue any evacuation warning before the strike, as it was an liquidation and did not target Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
Good to know.
Afif had been especially visible after Israel’s military escalation in September and following the liquidation of longtime Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> , who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Last month, Afif was forced to interrupt a presser in Dahiyeh after the IDF’s Arabic language front man, Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation order for residents of the area ahead of an airstrike.
"The bombing does not scare us, nor the threats," Afif said at the time. |Our will is firm and our determination is strong."
Also on Sunday, the IDF said it had completed a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Dahiyeh. The targets hit by fighter jets included command rooms and other infrastructure, according to the military. Before those strikes were carried out, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.
In recent days, the IDF has ramped up strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut with over 50 Hezbollah sites hit in the past week. One of the targets struck by Israeli fighter jets in Beirut on Saturday was an apartment formerly belonging to Nasrallah, according to the IDF. The military said Nasrallah was targeted at the home during the 2006 Second 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... War, and it was later rebuilt. The apartment was currently being used by Hezbollah for its activities, the IDF said.
Sunday’s strikes came after a barrage of some 20 rockets was launched from Lebanon at the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area in the morning. According to the IDF, some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, while the rest struck open areas, causing no injuries.
The IDF also released footage on Sunday showing a Hezbollah weapons cache and tunnel being demolished by combat engineers in southern Lebanon. The site had been discovered by troops of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit, who are operating in Lebanon under the Alon Reserve Brigade. It marked the first time in the unit’s history that it was operating in Lebanon. According to the IDF, during a raid in a southern Lebanon village, the troops found a tunnel shaft that led to underground infrastructure. Next to the shaft was a weapons depot, ammunition and a cycle of violence, which the IDF says "were prepared for an invasion" of Israel.
Three IDF divisions have been operating in southern Lebanon in recent days, as the military has expanded its offensive against Hezbollah.
Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... the IDF reportedly removed roadblocks on the northern border which were set up to prevent civilians from driving on roads that were exposed to anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon. According to a Sunday morning report by Army Radio, all of the military roadblocks on the Lebanon border were removed in recent days, ahead of a possible return of the displaced residents of the north to their homes.
"The reality in the north has changed," IDF officials were cited by the radio station as saying.
"There are no longer places where you can’t drive. Bypass roads are no longer needed, and citizens can also drive on these roads," the officials were cited as saying, adding that this freedom of movement is due to the IDF having taken control of key areas in south Lebanon, thereby reducing the threat.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern Israeli towns on the Lebanon border shortly after fellow terror group Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... ’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the Lebanese terror group.
For months since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support 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... amid the war there.
Hezbollah has since expanded its attacks to also target cities in central and northern Israel with rockets, in addition to the attacks on the border, though in recent days the IDF has seen a decrease in the number of attacks.
The attacks on northern Israel have resulted in the deaths of 43 civilians. In addition, 70 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September. Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... on Sunday morning, the IDF also said a drone launched at Israel "from the east" — usually code for Iraq — was intercepted by air defenses over southern Israel. Footage posted to social media showed a cloud of smoke above a Bezeq antenna farm near Rehovot, apparently following the interception of the drone. There were no reports of injuries. Shrapnel from the interception sparked a small fire in the area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone.
Meanwhile, a lawmaker from Lebanon’s al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Group denies a report on official media that the Islamist group aligned to Hamas and Hezbollah was the target of the strike.
Imad Hout tells AFP that “no center or institution affiliated with the group is located in the area targeted by the strike, and no member of the group was targeted.”
A Lebanese security source tells AFP that the strike hit an electronics store in the Mar Elias district, a commercial and residential area.
In recent days, the IDF says, the 282nd Artillery Regiment’s 411th Battalion crossed the northern border with its self-propelled M-109 howitzers and began to shell Hezbollah targets from within southern Lebanon.
The military says this increases its artillery range and allows better support for the ground troops battling Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Since the start of the ground offensive in late September, the IDF says, the 282nd Regiment has shelled thousands of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including weapon depots, command centers, and rocket launching sites, and has killed hundreds of Hezbollah operatives.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A former space commander is on a mission to root out DEI training so American soldiers 'can simply be focused on warfighting in a relatively apolitical workplace.'
Lt Col Matt Lohmeier led the 11th Space Warning Squadron in the Space Force in 2020 before being fired a year later for criticizing the Biden-Harris administration agenda, which also resulting in a loss of pension.
But last month Lohmeier was surprisingly rehired by Donald Trump.
The position came during a rally in North Carolina where Lohmeier thanked the now elect-president for saying that he 'would fire those few woke generals who are a big problem.'
He then asked Trump if he would 'setup a special task force office or position to ensure that these monsters never return to the Defense Department.'
Trump instantly responded: ''They're gone! I'm gonna put you on that task force.'
Lohmeier told DailyMail.com that the encounter was 'unscripted and unplanned.'
'I didn't know at the time what that meant,' he said.
'I didn't know if I'd simply join a larger team of people working on it, if I'd be put in charge of a task force, and I suppose all of that remains to be seen, and there's nothing to say about it publicly just yet.'
He is now thinking of ways, 'in which I might get involved in trying to restore accountability in the military and to eliminate the DEI diversity equity, inclusion training I was critical of. '
[Newsweek] Stocks tied to Big Pharma have dropped since it was announced that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had been nominated to be America's next Health Secretary. Looks like it's about to hit the fan.
Kennedy Jr., who is part of a political dynasty with an a former president uncle and a father as a former attorney general, is an outspoken opponent of Big Pharma.
The Health Secretary nominee has at times attributed America's health problems to insufficient regulation of pesticides, harmful additives, seed oils, processed foods and vaccines.
Moderna stock dropped by 5.62 percent in one day when the markets closed on Wednesday, at a price of $39.77, down from $42.14 the previous day.
When the markets opened on Thursday, the price had dropped even lower—to $38.47.
There was also a drop in the price of Pfizer stocks, which decreased by 2.62 percent by the end of Wednesday, closing at a price of $26.02, slightly down from $26.72 the previous day.
Pfizer stocks continued to drop on Thursday, hitting a price of around $24.75 in the morning.
Following President-elect Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday that he was nominating Kennedy Jr. to head the health department, five major pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines saw a drop in stock market valuation.
Down about 20% since the election. That's about $100B in market cap. Of course, it isn't just RFK Jr or Trump. There are a lot of things going on.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/18/2024 10:58
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#4
Gotta look at what proprietary (patented) drugs they have that are going generic. That's usually a huge hit
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/18/2024 11:07
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Anyone with a GLP-1 drug in hand will be making money hand over fist for the next twenty years or so. That class is good for much more than just weight loss, as they’re discovering, so prescriptions will rise logarithmically.
#6
one of the reasons for Eli Lilly's drop was that they couldn't manufacture their weight loss drugs fast enough
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/18/2024 11:44
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#7
Lilly is a very well run company that stays in it’s lanes, does deep and long term research and expands in/supports it’s home state. I expect they will be fine in the years ahead.
[Breitbart] Rental car giant Hertz is dramatically expanding its electric vehicle selloff program, with used Tesla Model 3s now available for under $20,000 as the company grapples with mounting EV depreciation costs. Hertz’s heavy investment in Tesla EVs has been a disaster causing massive losses and the loss of its CEO.
Inside EVs reports that Hertz’s ambitious electric vehicle program has hit another significant roadblock, with the company reporting an 89 percent increase in EV depreciation costs, amounting to $537 per vehicle per month. The rental car company has committed to selling 30,000 electric vehicles from its fleet by the end of 2024, marking a stark reversal from its earlier EV adoption strategy.
The company’s current predicament stems from its bold 2021 initiative to "go green," which included plans to purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3s. While this initial vision appeared promising, with benefits including reduced maintenance costs and strong customer interest, the strategy has since encountered numerous challenges that have forced a significant course correction.
[Independent Sentinel] It’s a Sunday meme post celebrating victory over the Loons.
The media is trying to make eating McDonald’s into a scandal and is now spreading the false rumor that Robert Kennedy plans to ban corn syrup in Pepsi.
[LibyaReview] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... is grappling with significant challenges in implementing key security and economic agreements with Libya, as the country’s deep political divisions and legal disputes obstruct progress.
Surely Turkey hasn’t already completely emptied Libya’s gold reserves in return for very minimal services rendered!
Despite Ankara’s strong partnership with Libya’s Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... -based Government of National Unity (GNU), major agreements, including a 2022 oil exploration deal, remain in limbo due to resistance from Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives (HoR).
…that’s the Osama Hammad government in Benghazi, supported by the so-called Libyan National Army — Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar’s outfit. The LNA is supported in turn by Egypt, with whom they share guarding their joint border. At one point it looked like the LNA would conquer Tripoli, but they seem to have decided it wasn’t worth the effort…
Mehmet Fadil Sekerci, head of the Libya Desk at Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, highlighted these difficulties during a recent parliamentary session in Ankara. He stated that while several agreements have been signed with the GNU, the HoR has delayed or blocked the ratification process. A local Libyan court has further complicated matters by suspending the oil exploration agreement, citing ongoing legal challenges.
Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Nooh Yilmaz, echoed these concerns, acknowledging the complex legal and political environment in Libya. While Turkey officially recognizes the GNU as Libya’s legitimate government, Yilmaz admitted that internal power struggles between the GNU and the HoR present significant obstacles. He emphasized Turkey’s commitment to respecting Libya’s illusory sovereignty and adhering to both international norms and Libyan domestic law.
Libya’s laws permit executive governments to approve certain international agreements independently. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... deals involving critical national resources, such as oil and gas, require parliamentary approval. The HoR, which questions the GNU’s legitimacy, has refused to ratify key agreements, claiming they lack the necessary legal basis. Ottoman Turkish opposition figures have also raised concerns about the controversy surrounding these agreements, with Libyan politicians labeling some of them as legally questionable.
Turkey’s involvement in Libya extends beyond economic agreements, encompassing significant military partnerships. A 2023 memorandum of understanding on military cooperation, signed in Antalya, builds on previous agreements from 2012 and 2019. These deals allow Turkey to train and restructure Libya’s armed forces and police while granting Ottoman Turkish personnel broad legal immunity.
Turkey has solidified its military presence in Libya, with its parliament recently extending the military mandate for another two years. President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... has emphasized the strategic importance of Turkey’s role in the Mediterranean, citing its efforts to counter terrorism and illegal migration as essential to national security.
Economically, Turkey is deeply interested in Libya’s vast oil and gas resources. In 2020, Erdogan announced plans to expand Ottoman Turkish involvement in Libya’s energy sector, including exploration and extraction. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... these ambitions have drawn international scrutiny. A 2022 report to the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... Security Council accused Turkey of violating sanctions by providing military aid and logistical support to armed factions in Libya.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/18/2024
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#1
No mention is made that prior to the Italian occupation of Libya it was a Turkish satrapy. The expulsion of Turks was welcomed by the Libyans of Cyrenaica in the east and Tripolitania in the west.
Today the only region likely to welcome a Turkish return would be Tripolitania (basically Tripoli), whose leaders are easily bought.
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
11/18/2024 9:45
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[PostMillennial] The committee's report, accounting for "age and labour-force participation" as "measures of disadvantage," revealed that 57 percent of Track 2 MAID requests came from the poorest in society, while 42 percent of Track 1 requests were from the same sector.
A recent report from the Ontario Coroner’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Death Review Committee has apparently confirmed what critics of the Trudeau government’s euthanasia program have said would happen: poor people are increasingly being offered MAID even if they are not in chronic pain from an incurable disease.
The program divides its recipients into two categories, the National Post reports: Track 1 ("for those whose death is reasonably foreseeable") and Track 2 ("for those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable"). The report found that 48.6 percent of those eligible for MAID under Track 2 are living in the poorest parts of Ontario, while 41.8 percent of those under Track 1 were from poorer sections of the province. Other studies of MAID recipients within cities have found comparable results.
A closer analysis of the Death Review Committee’s report accounting for "age and labour-force participation" as "measures of disadvantage" reveals that 57 percent of Track 2 MAID requests came from the poorest in society, while 42 percent of Track 1 requests were from the same sector.
This is a phenomenon, the Post notes, that seems almost unique to Canada, especially when evaluating data from other countries where assisted suicide is legal. In the Netherlands, for instance, "the overall rates of assisted dying were somewhat higher for people (living in areas) of higher socioeconomic status," the Post noted.
In Canada, euthanasia has become a more probable choice for the dispossessed. The Post notes the case of "Sophia," a 51-year-old woman who became a MAID candidate because of chemical sensitivities. She opted for assisted suicide because she found her apartment unbearable. "The government sees me as expendable trash, a complainer, useless and a pain in the ass," Sophia explained.
Mr. A (so described by the committee) was offered assisted suicide because he not only had inflammatory bowel disease but a history of "mental illness, previous episodes of suicidality, and ongoing alcohol and opioid misuse." The criteria would suggest that mental illness is already being considered as a factor in deciding who is eligible for MAID.
But the Post is more concerned about how many people are streamlined into euthanasia because of poverty. As commentator Chris Selley notes, "What Sophia received wasn’t medical assistance in dying at all. Death is no more appropriate a prescription for multiple chemical sensitivities — or for the mental conditions that likely explain it — than chemotherapy or a hip replacement."
The parameters of MAID continue to expand. Quebec has authorized its doctors to issue "advance directives" if patients are unresponsive or suffering from dementia. A previous written request will suffice as permission to proceed with assisted suicide.
Trudeau's Health Minister has already announced that the Liberal government plans to expand MAID for the mentally ill, now scheduled in 2027. "On February 29, 2024, legislation to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility to receive MAID in circumstances where a person's sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness received royal assent and immediately came into effect. The eligibility date for persons suffering solely from a mental illness is now March 17, 2027," the Canadian government states.
An investigation into private online posts revealed that Canadian doctors are feeling uneasy or even guilty about their participation in the MAID program. Patients are sometimes offered euthanasia in lieu of medical treatment. Canadian cancer patient Allison Ducluzeau revealed in November 2023 how doctors offered her euthanasia before an operation for her abdominal cancer. She decided to go to Ohio for surgery and save her life.
Chasov Yar has been a target for the Russians since the demise of Wagner Group owner Yevginey Prigozhin, Summer 2023
[ColonelCassad] Battle for Chasov Yar: Situation as of 12:20 11/17/2024
Units of the Russian Armed Forces continue to break through the road to the fireproof plant, located in the central part of the city. After several months of heavy positional battles, assault groups broke the enemy's defense in the Druzhba forest, which is located south of the western part of the settlement of Kalinovka.
Kalinovka itself has already been turned into ruins and resembles the western neighborhoods of Mosul in the spring-summer of 2017. Advancement in Druzhba was complicated by well-organized enemy strongholds, but soldiers of an assault detachment of one of the units of the Russian Armed Forces were able to open up the enemy's defense, breaking through to the area of the waste heap to the west of Kalinovka.
Today, the enemy is organizing the defense of the waste heap in order to prevent units of the Russian Armed Forces from encircling the Novoseverny district of Chasov Yar from the north, and thereby "squeezing" the territory of the fireproof plant.
From the south, the Akhmat units under Shustry's command continue to expand the control zone south of the forest area adjacent to the Oktyabrsky district of Chasov Yar. The forest area itself is well fortified and, in my opinion, its clearing should be carried out only after intensive work by aviation, since there is a widely ramified system of enemy fortifications inside.
In general, the initiative in Chasov Yar remains with the units of the RF Armed Forces. Of course, the advance is not as fast as we would like, but it is important to understand that the city is a fairly powerful fortified area, the opening of which takes time.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] The political crisis in Abkhazia has entered a wait-and-see phase. Opposition groups have occupied government buildings and are demanding the resignation of the country's president, Aslan Bzhania. The president himself, who is currently in his ancestral village, claims that he is ready to announce early elections (and participate in them), but only after the protesters go home. Local security forces have withdrawn; they do not intend to disperse anyone.
The reason for the protests was the investment agreement with Russia, which was signed at the end of October and was being ratified in parliament. It regulated Russian investments (large ones, from 2 billion rubles) in tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, supporting infrastructure and the fuel and energy complex through the creation of a special register of investors.
"The purpose of this agreement was only one - to protect Russian investments that could come to Abkhazia. Moreover, protection was not through intra-Abkhaz legislation, but through an international agreement, since it was believed that this was more reliable," Nikolai Silaev, a leading research fellow at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO, explains to Regnum.
That is, to put it simply, the agreement would oblige the Abkhazian authorities to provide Russian investors with the most favorable treatment (land, quotas for foreign workers, tax breaks, etc.), and also to compensate Russian companies for expenses in the event that Sukhum violates its obligations.
Western media present the protests as some kind of anti-Russian demarche of the population. As a desire to free themselves from "Moscow oppression." Euronews describes the situation as a confrontation between the "Russian-backed president" and society. CNN calls the Abkhaz authorities "hostages of Moscow."
The situation was predictably commented on by the "West's watchdog" on Georgia, a career employee of the French Foreign Ministry and part-time Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.
"And in occupied Abkhazia there is an attempt to implement the Russian law, and there civil society has spoken out against it. I want to express solidarity with them," she said, hinting at the activities of the current Georgian government to limit Western influence on the country.
However, in reality, there is no “anti-Russian” protest in Abkhazia. Not to mention the “Maidan”. There is a combination of two factors. Firstly, the immaturity of the Abkhaz political system, in which changing power “across the street” has become commonplace. This happened both in 2014 and in 2020. Secondly, the population’s discontent is not so much with the investment agreement itself, but with its possible consequences for the republic’s way of life.
"The population does not think in terms of protest against Russian money, but in terms of infringement of sovereignty. They do not like the fact that Russian investors will have any guarantees in principle. The protesters proceed from the fact that Abkhazia belongs to the Abkhazians, and a Russian investor can infringe on the full economic power of the titular people," says Nikolai Silaev.
This is the political culture that has developed in Abkhazia. A combination of fear of losing control over one's land (which is an extremely interesting piece for investors in tourism and agriculture) and becoming a minority in one's own country.
Abkhazians already make up slightly more than half of the country's population, and if, as protesters fear, apartments are built in the republic for visitors, the share of the "state-forming people" will shrink even more. That's why people took to the streets.
It would seem that they ultimately won - the authorities were forced to withdraw the investment agreement from parliament. And it is far from certain that the next head of state (or the same Aslan Bzhania, if he wins the early presidential elections) will again submit it for consideration by legislators. However, in reality, society lost.
Firstly, due to internal fears, it prevents the inflow of investments into the republic. Investments that will allow the restoration of local industry, the resort sector and the creation of jobs: in a number of regions of the republic, unemployment reaches 80-90%.
Secondly, the current protests are scaring off those investors who were ready to come in without an agreement. “It turns out that you can sign and even ratify a dozen agreements, but this does not guarantee that a crowd of three hundred people will not come to some facility with Russian investments and destroy it, as they destroyed government buildings,” says Nikolai Silaev.
Thirdly, by refusing to ratify the investment document, the Abkhaz side failed to fulfill its obligations to Russia. This means that it is unlikely that Russian financing of the republic, which was recently frozen due to the same failure to fulfill, will be unblocked.
"They don't give money not because someone suddenly woke up and got up on the wrong side of the bed. But because there was an agreement on assistance in implementing the program of socio-economic development of Abkhazia. One of the points there was the harmonization of legislation. There is no harmonization - that's why there is no money," explains Nikolai Silaev.
Finally, fourthly - and here the situation in Abkhazia is somewhat similar to Georgia - without Russian money and Russian investors (even those building apartments) the republic will lose its sovereignty. After all, there are countries that are capable of developing it and at the same time have the tools to undermine this independence. Without any agreements.
In the case of Abkhazia, we are talking about Turkey. "Despite the fact that the Turkish Republic has not officially recognized Abkhazia as an independent state, it is quite actively engaged in maritime trade with it. Moreover, both with Abkhazia itself and through Abkhazia. For Turkish businessmen, Abkhazia is a window that can be used for contacts with Russia," explains Vladimir Avatkov, Doctor of Political Science and Head of the Department of the Near and Post-Soviet East at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, to Regnum News Agency.
And Turkey has a tool to bypass Abkhazian restrictions in the form of the so-called "muhajirs" - settlers from the Caucasus who left for the Ottoman Empire in the 19th - early 20th centuries. "A large number of Abkhazians live in Turkey who have ties to their homeland. And how can ethnic Abkhazians receive land in Abkhazia - with all the ensuing difficulties, consequences and opportunities for Turkey," says Vladimir Avatkov.
That is, in essence, Ankara has legal opportunities to take over both Abkhazian land and Abkhazian real estate, providing itself with another "chair", a point of support and income extraction. After which they will be able to dictate their will to the locals - as Turkey does in the Middle East, and even in neighboring Georgia (it is enough to look at the consequences of Turkish economic expansion in Adjara).
And if this happens, local residents may very well regret having scared off Russian investors who treat them with much more respect.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The joint summit of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recently concluded in Riyadh. The dialogue format, launched after the crisis in the Gaza Strip, involuntarily became a platform for consolidating the positions of the US regional allies in 2024 before the “shift change” in the White House.
Saudi Arabia, which hosted the summit, decided to take an interesting step by attempting to advance some elements of a settlement within the framework of the LAS-OIC proposals that are characteristic of the Chinese approach. Including with the expectation that this will allow Beijing and Washington to somewhat bring their positions on the situation in the Middle East closer together.
However, while the Saudis are trying to unobtrusively “make friends” between the American and Chinese approaches to settling the Middle East, Beijing prefers to “keep its distance” and not demonstrate interest in active mediation.
IN SEARCH OF A WAY
The central topic of the Riyadh summit, as expected, remained the situation in the Gaza Strip. And the Arabian monarchies used the approaching change of power in the White House to “prick” Israel as much as possible: Tel Aviv was placed “solely responsible” for the failure of the negotiations on a settlement in the region with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Of course. But since both parties intend to continue the fight, blame-casting accomplishes nothing more than momentarily flattering the speakers’ amour propre. And since the incoming president knows they are all lying, it will be a very momentary pleasure indeed.
At the same time, the meeting participants delicately avoided the topic of American diplomatic miscalculations, making allowance for the fact that Washington has decided to retain part of the “field team” responsible for the negotiations for now.
I have no idea what that means, but it sounds awfully insightful and profound.
Another interesting feature of the meeting was the attempts to prepare a new “road map” for a settlement in Gaza in advance, using not only American but also Chinese experience. The latter was a big surprise, given the new US President Donald Trump’s expressed dislike for China, which the Saudis are well aware of.
If it makes this lot happy to waste time and effort that will only be ignored in a very few weeks — go for it, guys.
Despite the fact that the final document of the summit was filled with rather harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric, including calls to freeze Tel Aviv’s participation in the work of the UN General Assembly and other international platforms, it contains many cautious references to the Chinese formula for a settlement that may be of interest to Washington.
Thus, the summit participants warned against the consequences of violating the sovereignty of Iraq, Syria and Iran without decisive measures by the UN,
“Please don’t let Israel hurt them more!”
and also advocated for the immediate provision of humanitarian aid to Lebanon,
Go for it, guys. Just remember that oil prices are about to fall back to 2020 levels, so your budgets are going to tighten up again — you don’t want to overcommit..
including to resolve the crisis associated with the large number of displaced persons. The document also included passages on the importance of maintaining consensus between key Palestinian factions.
And who knows? The horse may learn to sing.
The idea proposed on the sidelines of the summit to create a trilateral coordination mechanism, involving the African Union in the work, also looks advantageous. Chinese diplomats have previously made similar proposals on numerous occasions.
O.M.G. The level of creativity is astounding.
However, more active inclusion of Africa in the work on the ceasefire in Gaza partly meets the interests of the Trump administration, since it will create a stable window of interaction with the African continent. Especially in conditions when Washington's position in this direction has significantly weakened under the Democrats.
IN MY OWN INTERESTS
Why did Saudi Arabia decide to take such a strange step? The answer lies in Riyadh’s regional interests.
With Qatar, the main mediator in the Gaza settlement, “out of the picture,” the future of the “Biden plan” has become even more uncertain.
I would have called it absolutely certain not to happen, but I’m just a little suburban housewife — what do I know?
Neither Hamas nor Israel have shown any willingness to make concessions or honor their commitments.
Israel is absolutely honouring her commitment to wipe out Hamas. She has made no other.
This has greatly cooled the ardor of other potential key mediators, including Saudi Arabia. It has become clear that it will not be possible to end the conflict under the democrats.
However, Trump’s team, apparently, does not yet have a clear understanding of how to stop the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
…that’s certainly one perspective…
and this is driving the entire settlement process into a dead end and creating an additional threat to the interests of regional players.
Moreover, Israeli counterparts, hiding behind Trump’s name, have already set their sights on the West Bank of the Jordan,
…they’ve tried to give it back, but Jordan has repeatedly refused to take it, preferring to kibitz from the sidelines…
which risks opening up new dangerous facets of the conflict.
For this reason, Riyadh tried to squeeze the maximum out of the past summit in order to demonstrate its readiness to offer Washington a ready-made and at the same time maximally adaptive scenario for a settlement.
Ahhh. They aren’t trying to craft a solution, but demonstration willingness to solve. Clever!
The appearance of “Chinese” elements in it testifies to the kingdom’s desire to continue balancing between the US and China and to pursue a policy of maneuvering.
Of course, Riyadh does not plan to emphasize once again the nature of some points of its settlement model. On the contrary, they are deliberately included in other proposals - in particular, they echo the "Arab Peace Initiative" promoted by the Saudis over the past few years.
The one that’s a No Go? Clearly hope springs eternal.
CHINESE PAUSE
Despite the fact that the region has generally created favorable conditions for further promotion of the “Chinese formula” for conflict resolution, China has so far preferred to stay somewhat away from the Gaza issue and not respond to attempts to bring the Chinese and American approaches closer together.
China's caution is easily explained: Trump's team is still being formed, and it is not yet possible to trace the real priorities of his foreign policy.
The real readiness of the Republicans to maintain a working dialogue with China is also controversial. During the election campaign, Trump changed his position several times, sometimes calling for friendship with Beijing, sometimes promising its “quick overthrow.”
Given that China is increasingly leaning towards a “one move, one win” tactic, its inclusion in the Gaza negotiation process will only happen when the risks of a deal falling through are minimized.
However, Beijing, apparently, does not plan to hinder the Saudis’ attempts to give the future American formula for a settlement in Gaza a “Chinese tint.”
#2
Players in the kabuki theater have noticed that the audience isn't even paying attention, checking their phones, talking amongst themselves, etc.
But they're paid to put on a play, so, on with the show.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/18/2024 7:52
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Oleg Shevchenko
[REGNUM] Exactly 55 years ago, on November 17, 1969, negotiations between the USSR and the USA began in Helsinki to limit nuclear arsenals. Representatives of all the world's media that had any presence in the information resources market rushed to the capital of Finland. An event of incredible significance! The USSR and the USA decide to come to an agreement, Armageddon is postponed! For the average person, this event happened suddenly, but in the world of big politics and big military strategy, there is no place for the word "suddenly". And the main issues were not decided in front of cameras in Helsinki, but "behind the curtain".
More precisely, in a series of closed bilateral meetings between the veterans of the diplomacy of that time: US presidential aide Henry Kissinger and Soviet ambassador to the US Anatoly Dobrynin. And it all took its final form only in November 1974 in Vladivostok during a meeting between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and US President Gerald Ford.
AGENT X REPORTS
It all began in the distant, victorious year for our country - May 18, 1945. From the USSR Embassy in Great Britain came a cipher using the most powerful encryption capabilities, it had the stamp "Super Lightning". That is, the information contained in it was not only extremely secret, but it was required to be reported to the leadership as soon as possible.
They were obtained by an agent with the code letter "X", whose identity is still one of the main secrets of our intelligence services. He reported that three days ago the Joint Planning Headquarters of the British War Cabinet began developing a scenario for war against the USSR - the Unthinkable plan.
The scenario – the authenticity of which the British government denied until 1998 – included plans for an offensive by 47 Anglo-American divisions in East Germany and Poland. The British also intended to use 12 undisbanded Wehrmacht divisions that the Allies were “keeping in reserve” in Schleswig-Holstein and southern Denmark.
Even then, the West's plans did not assume that the war would be "conventional" (without the use of weapons of mass destruction). Let us recall that the first atomic bomb was tested at the Alamogordo test site in New Mexico in July 1945, and a month later, the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki became victims of the new weapon.
In 2014, London's The Daily Mail published FBI archive data, which showed that in 1947, Churchill convinced the Harry Truman administration of the need to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the USSR.
"DESIRABLE LOSSES OF RUSSIANS" - UP TO 100 MILLION PEOPLE
But the Americans themselves were developing various options for attacking the Soviet Union. Here are just a few of them.
In September 1945, American Major General Loris Norstad developed a map of targets for American nuclear bombing of the Soviet Union. The general planned to drop from 123 to 466 nuclear warheads on peaceful cities: Moscow, Baku, Novosibirsk, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Kuibyshev, Kazan, Saratov, Molotov (Perm), Magnitogorsk.
On December 14, 1945, the Peancer plan was born. It designated 20 major cities and industrial centers of the USSR for atomic bombing, on which it was supposed to drop 196 atomic bombs. This plan was followed by a number of others with no less menacing names: "Hot Day", "Incinerating Heat", "Shake", etc.
In 1946, Dwight Eisenhower, then the US Army Chief of Staff, developed the Totality plan, which called for dropping 20-30 atomic bombs on two dozen Soviet cities.
On December 19, 1949, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff officially approved the basic plan for waging nuclear war, Dropshot.
According to this plan, it was necessary to drop 300 nuclear bombs on the USSR in such a way that 85 percent of the industrial potential of the Soviet Union would be destroyed in one blow. At the same time, the “desirable losses” of USSR citizens were estimated at 60-100 million people.
Against this warlike background, the Americans begin diplomatic pressure. In a very brazen manner, reveling in its own monopoly on nuclear weapons, Washington proposed the " Baruch Plan " - named after its developer, Roosevelt's advisor, financier Bernard Baruch.
According to the plan, actual control over the nuclear industry and nuclear arsenals that other countries might acquire would be transferred to the United States through the creation of a supposedly international special commission in which the West would occupy a dominant position.
PEACE PROPOSALS PLUS "KUZKINA MOTHER"
In response, on June 19, 1946, Moscow put forward a draft international convention on the complete and unconditional prohibition of the production and use of atomic weapons to the UN Atomic Commission.
The project was based on the recognition of the principle of equality and equal security for all signatory states. As expected, the Americans began to block Moscow's proposal and put pressure on various countries in every possible way to accept their plan. But the Soviet Union soon had a weighty argument.
In 1949, the USSR tests its first atomic bomb. It becomes obvious to Washington that nuclear blackmail can no longer be used: Moscow has something to respond to the plans of NATO generals.
And although the ratio of nuclear bombs was in favor of the Americans (1950 - 299 for the USA versus five for the USSR; 1955 - 2422 versus 200), no one in Washington wanted to have a nuclear explosion in New York or Los Angeles.
This was the moment when it would have been possible to come to peace talks. But the US relied on its scientific and technological advantage and began a new round of atomic blackmail. It was called "Bombing Breakaway".
The goal was to dominate the speed and scale of air delivery of bombs against the USSR and destroy its nuclear potential at their bases with a surprise preemptive strike. By 1960, over 18,000 nuclear warheads and over two thousand carrier aircraft had been accumulated. The USSR could counter them with only 1,600 atomic bombs.
Soviet successes in near-Earth space, from the launch of Sputnik to the flight of Yuri Gagarin, convinced the Americans that the military component of our missile program was up to par. As early as 1959, Pentagon chief Neil McElroy announced that the Soviets were capable of creating large forces of intercontinental ballistic missiles in a short time, while the United States was critically lagging behind in this regard.
With this statement, the United States launched a new round of nuclear confrontation in the sphere of missile technologies, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. After it, it became clear to many: the USSR would not give in to blackmail, and its scientific and technical base was not much inferior to the American one. The situation was becoming a stalemate.
This was stated in 1957 by then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in his book War or Peace?: “The ability of the United States to drop atomic bombs on Russia is largely neutralized by the ability of the latter to drop atomic bombs on the United States and Western Europe.”
Even the creation of a super-powerful thermonuclear bomb by the US in the mid-1950s did not improve their situation, because the USSR responded with a hydrogen bomb – a weapon of geostrategic scale. In those same years, the US Secretary of Aviation Thomas Finletter claimed: “ The security of our country is affected, which was not the case with the advent of the atomic bomb… In a short time, the Russians will have enough hydrogen bombs to be able to destroy the United States with a small part of them.”
THE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE WET CARDBOARD
The next stage of the US asymmetric response was to be missile charges with multiple warheads and the first Sentinel missile defense systems, which had been developed since the late 1960s. But at the same time, American military-technical analysts were sounding the alarm.
The presence of a heavy missile system with a nuclear charge in the USSR, the ever-increasing stock of our hydrogen bombs and the improvement in the quality of their delivery indicated that the American missile defense looked, as they say, like wet cardboard under a hail of boulders.
The American elite finally lost their nerve when it became known that the USSR had created its own missile defense systems - the A-35 and its successor, the A-135, which turned out to be much more effective than their American counterpart. The Soviet system was capable of intercepting most American missiles, and those that would miss would not be able to deliver a critical blow to the Soviet Union. A symmetrical blow from Soviet nuclear forces would wipe the United States off the face of the earth.
The nuclear arms race entered the parity phase, and Washington reasonably decided that it was time to reach an agreement.
"KISS" IN ACTION
On July 2, 1968, the Lyndon Johnson administration and the Soviet leadership led by Brezhnev indicated interest in nuclear arms control negotiations. In January 1969, when "Tricky Dick" Republican Richard Nixon replaced Democrat Johnson in Washington, Moscow formally agreed to begin negotiations.
The new White House team suddenly took a break – and fell silent. And then the Americans began to link the course of the nuclear weapons talks with… the situation in the Middle East and Vietnam. They say that Moscow should make concessions on these two issues.
A quiet dance of the two powers, resembling the soft steps of a cat, began. Allies were involved, spy networks were used, the press was monitored, and accidentally dropped phrases of diplomats were recorded - everything was subjected to careful filtering and analysis. Never in the history of the world had there been an analogy to an agreement on limiting nuclear weapons, this super-powerful trump card in a global war that never began.
It was necessary to build a structure of communication, formulas for concessions, a technique for probing the motives of opponents from scratch, without ready-made templates. The era of nuclear diplomacy was coming, for which no university in the world had prepared.
And as always, secret diplomacy started working before open diplomacy, and here the main role was played by another "sly one" - a diplomat with a serious intelligence background, Henry Kissinger. He had two nicknames - "Sly Fox" and "Kiss" - an abbreviation of his last name and at the same time "kiss" (Kiss). Apparently, thanks to his innate softness, charm and delicacy of communication, behind which hid a tough and skillful negotiator.
He was opposed by the recent Deputy Secretary General of the UN, and since 1962 the USSR Ambassador to the USA, who confirmed his highest qualifications during the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis – Anatoly Dobrynin.
On October 20, after a series of tense diplomatic clashes, the USSR forced the American government to announce its agreement to begin discussions on the issue of formal limitation of strategic arms (SALT).
The Soviet delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Semenov, a diplomat with 30 years of experience, which included working at the embassy in Berlin just before the war, "resolving" the Berlin crisis of 1948-49, and participating in the formation of the GDR. The Western press respectfully called him "the gray cardinal." The Americans put forward a specialist in the field, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for "atomic" issues Gerard Smith, against our broad-based diplomat.
BREAKTHROUGH AND A NEW DEAD END
So the negotiations took place on two levels: confidentially in Washington “Kissinger-Dobrynin” and officially in Helsinki and Vienna “Smith-Semyonov”.
To call the negotiations difficult is to say nothing. Moscow had counted on talking only with Washington. But the American side published Nixon's message: the US will not decide anything without its allies, whose interests the US has pledged to protect. A sharp turn in the negotiations for which Moscow was not prepared.
Reminiscent of the behavior of Donald Trump's team during the negotiations on the START-3 nuclear agreement in 2020. Then, let us recall, Washington "dragged out" the negotiations, insisting that either China joins the Russian-American treaty (and China clearly did not intend to do this), or START-3 is not extended. As a result, the treaty was "buried".
Half a century earlier, Nixon and Kissinger had the common sense to reach an agreement with Moscow, although the background for the Helsinki meetings was demarches, provocative articles in the press, loud statements and a minimum of firm guarantees. By 1972, the negotiations began to steer towards the final stage. Its first stage was Nixon's visit to Brezhnev and the signing of two documents on May 26: the open-ended ABM Treaty and the five-year Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I).
But many important issues could not be settled. For example, the number of strategic bombers and missiles with multiple warheads (which replaced the old missiles and made it possible to increase the number of warheads without increasing the number of carriers themselves). And the five years of SALT-1 were supposed to pass quickly.
New consultations began, but the next round of negotiations again led the situation to a dead end. A decisive breakthrough was needed, which happened after Watergate and Nixon's resignation.
"Mr. Secretary General, I'm keeping my fingers crossed."
Half a century ago, in November 1974, the new President Gerald Ford met with Brezhnev in Vladivostok. The President and Secretary General agreed on a new treaty, SALT II. The USSR and the USA were obliged to limit the number of strategic nuclear weapons carriers to 2,400 units, and restrictions were imposed on the number of ground-based launchers and on the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.
According to Ford's memoirs, Brezhnev began to talk at length about the United States Congress, "which the Soviets saw as potentially detrimental to their ability to negotiate with American presidents. " Brezhnev asked Ford, "What Congress will you have to deal with in the next two years?" to which the president replied, "Mr. General Secretary... I can only say that I am keeping my fingers crossed."
Brezhnev signed SALT-2 in 1979, already with the next US President Jimmy Carter, but the conversation with Ford turned out to be prophetic: the Senate, citing the “Soviet invasion” of Afghanistan, flatly refused to ratify the treaty.
And the famous peacemaker Carter was playing a hidden game, which, incidentally, was also known in Moscow. Recently, in October 2024, the FSB declassified our intelligence data: in 1980, Carter signed secret presidential directive No. 59, which outlined a "new nuclear doctrine" that envisaged the possibility of the United States starting a full-scale nuclear war against the Soviet Union."
But both the “dove” Carter and the “hawk” Ronald Reagan who replaced him were pragmatists, and Washington, mindful of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, formally observed SALT II, which was never ratified.
SYSTEM COLLAPSE AND HYPERSONIC OVERTAKING
Washington did not enjoy the position of the sole wielder of the nuclear club for long - 75 years ago the USSR ended this monopoly, and 55 years ago it forced the US to comply with rather strict rules of the game for the first time. Since Russia was lucky enough not to lose the nuclear triad after the collapse of the USSR, America has been polite in the post-Soviet era. Examples of this are the treaties on strategic offensive weapons: START-1 (1991-2009), START-2 (1993-2002) and the START-3 agreement signed in 2010.
But already under George W. Bush, the United States began dismantling the system of checks and balances created in the last three decades of the 20th century. In 2002, the United States withdrew from the ABM Treaty, in 2019, under Trump, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) collapsed, and in 2023, already under Joe Biden, the New START Treaty was de jure terminated.
Today's Russia has eliminated all risks associated with the US attempt to feel safe in the face of a retaliatory nuclear strike. Russia's current nuclear triad, its missile defense systems, and hypersonic carriers have cooled many hot heads in Washington.
But in essence, we are once again in a situation of legal instability and turmoil of the mid-1960s. Only with the development of "hypersound" it is not we who are in a catch-up situation, but our opponents in the West. The spiral of nuclear diplomacy has completed its next turn and is heading into the future.
#3
..included plans for an offensive by 47 Anglo-American divisions
The US was quickly shifting divisions from Europe to the Pacific after May. When that concluded in August, the US demobilized as quickly as possible. Where were they going to get those divisions?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:44 Special forces finish off enemy armored vehicles that tried to break through at the Ol'govsky cauldron in the Kursk region –video. 20:34 "Ol'govsky cauldron": Russian Army blocked Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Ol'govskaya grove area in the Kursk region.
During the successful actions of the "North" group of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to defeat Ukrainian formations in the territory of the Kursk region, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were blocked in the area of Ol'govskaya grove.
19:36 During aerial reconnaissance in the area of the village of Chasov Yar, paratroopers from the 98th Airborne Division discovered and destroyed a mortar crew of the Ukrainian Armed Forces –video.
18:39 Two "Baba Yagas" were destroyed in the air by Russian FPV drones.
Objective control footage shows FPV drones of the North group of forces hitting enemy hexacopters –video.
17:37 In the area of the settlement Kleban-Bykwe are observing camouflage of the M-109 Paladin self-propelled gun by the Ukrainian Armed Forces crew at a firing position and its subsequent destruction by a direct hit from a Lancet loitering munition.
16:27 Servicemen of the North group of troops identified and destroyed an armored vehicle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with soldiers. Objective control means recorded a direct hit on the equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine –video.
14:25 Telegram channel "Operation Z: War Correspondents of the Russian Spring":
Russian Army continues onslaught in the Yuzhnodonetsk and Zaporizhzhya directions, approaching Kurakhovo from the south, and pushing through the enemy's defenses at Velyka Novosyolka
- South Donetsk direction. East of Bogoyavlenka, Russian troops advanced into the Lesnaya Dacha tract to a depth of 1 km.
West of Maksimovka, the Russian Army has closed a "pocket" up to 2.7 km wide. The advance continues in the direction of Uspenovka and Trudovoye.
- Zaporizhia direction. North and southwest of Rivnepol, Russian troops have advanced to a depth of 1 km and continue to advance in maneuverable groups in the direction of Novodarovka.
11:49 Two shots – and the target is hit:
Crew of a D-30 howitzer of the motorized rifle unit of the "Center" group of forcessmasheda stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) direction.
10:54 Telegram channel «WarGonzo»:
Frontline report:
- Zaporizhzhya Front. Mainly positional battles continue. No significant changes in LBS.
- Donetsk Front. Here, Russian troops continue to actively advance in several areas. The Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of Makarovka on the Vremevsky salient. Assault operations by the Russian Armed Forces in Kurakhovo continue.
Also, Russian troops are actively pressing on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense on the flanks, closing the ring around the city. West of Selidovo, Russian troops are also advancing, the Ministry of Defense reports the liberation of Grigorovka.
- Chasov-Yar direction. Fighting continues within the city limits of Chasov-Yar, as well as on the flanks, where the Russian Armed Forces are trying to improve their positions.
- Kursk region. No significant changes in the LBS. Heavy counter battles continue. The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to saturate the front with reserves, transferring new batches of personnel and equipment to the Kursk region.
09:49 A copter from the 203rd Special Forces Regiment "Akhmat" clears the way for attack aircraft from hidden enemy strongholds -video.
09:22 In the Kursk border area, servicemen of the engineering unit of the North group of troops deployed a pontoon bridge to ensure the passage of military and civilian equipment.
A pontooner with the call sign “Kuksa” spoke about the intricacies of combat work of military engineers —video.
08:41 Victory comes with experience:
"Varvar" is the commander of the assault group. He has been carrying out the tasks of the special operation from the very beginning. The assault soldier admits that everything was unusual at first, but then they got used to it and gained the necessary experience. Now it is easy as pie to take "forest regiments" and strongholds -video.
08:00 The "thirties" are firing:
The D-30 howitzer crews of the Zapad group of forces destroy manpower, armored vehicles, artillery and mortar crews, as well as fortified positions of Ukrainian militants every day —video.
[SFGate] A "rather impressive system" is setting the stage for what could be California's first atmospheric river storm of the season, the National Weather Service said Sunday. An atmospheric river carries water vapor from the tropics and, when it makes landfall, can bring a vast amount of rain and snow
-------------------------- This would be for the period beginning 20Nov and perhaps peaking in intensity 22-24 Nov. Forecast still iffy at this point but if it pans out it will bring some flooding to the central valley and close all the Sierra passes from US 50 north for several days.
Stay safe, all who are downstream from that upstream.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
11/18/2024
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#1
So far, local forecasting shows Tahoe and the southern half of the Sierra Front at the bottom edge of that forecast.
[FoxNews] Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson by unanimous decision after eight rounds.
Canadian rapper Drake is not afraid to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to placing massive bets on sporting events.
The former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned professional boxer Jake Paul faced off on Friday night. The long-awaited fight garnered considerable interest and attracted a high volume of wagers.
Drake was confident the 58-year-old Tyson would be able to prevail in the match against the 27-year-old Paul and placed a wager of a few hundred thousand dollars on "Iron Mike." But, Paul ultimately defeated Tyson in a unanimous decision.
Mr. Tyson gave it his best shot, and now he can enjoy a well-earnt retirement, while Mr. Drake can go to work replacing the money he threw away after thoroughly enjoying the adrenaline rush.
So be pleasantly surprised - eldest watched the whole ticket, thought the main bill was a bit too much entertainment and not sport. Really saw through the curtain though with the gal boxers, which was thought to be the wrong decision, backed up by unofficial score win and decision going to the eventual loser.
#3
*also, eldest gave me crap about that olympic boxing event going to a man. Reported that it was a man whose balls never dropped, over simply put, a couple weeks back.
To paraphrase a famous line from a film: this will quickly spin out of control... Are there no checks on this demented madman?
He has a hard limit on January 20th — better than nothing.
[Regnum] US President Joe Biden has for the first time authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles on Russian territory. This was reported on November 17 by The New York Times, citing sources.
"Biden authorized Ukraine's first use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russian territory," the statement said.
It is noted that this decision signifies a significant shift in US foreign policy and the current head of the White House made it two months before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who had previously announced his intention to limit support for Ukraine.
According to sources, Biden's move is connected with information about the alleged presence of DPRK forces in the Kursk region, which "caused the need to strengthen the defense of the Ukrainian military."
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 11, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia will continue the special military operation in Ukraine and will achieve all the set goals, even if the Kiev regime is allowed to strike with Western long-range weapons deep into Russian territory. He emphasized that the dynamics of the development of the special operation are well understood and no supplies of individual types of weapons to Ukraine will be able to change it.
The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, has repeatedly called for Ukraine to be allowed to strike deep into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on September 12 that this was in fact about the direct involvement of NATO countries in the Ukrainian conflict, since only NATO military personnel can enter flight assignments into Western long-range missile systems. Putin warned that Moscow would take retaliatory measures taking into account the threats that would arise.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that if NATO allows the Ukrainian army to strike deep into Russia, Moscow will regard this as the alliance countries actually entering into a direct armed conflict. The consequences will be devastating for NATO countries, she noted.
Posted by: badanov ||
11/18/2024
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#1
The Deep State appears to actually desire a nuclear confrontation.
#4
Russia knows it cannot defeat the US in a conventional war. They also know that the US has pledged Not to be the first to the threshold into MAD. Russia also knows China’s ass is on the line with them. Russia will simply move their more vital assets further east outside the range of the ATACMS!
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/18/2024 18:25
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#10
I'm hearing that the missiles in question are short-range "blow up stuff in Kursk" missiles rather than the long-range "strike deep into the heart of Russia" version; the use case being to support the Ukr retreat from Kursk so the troops can survive to be used elsewhere.
There is a persistent NATO fantasy that if we can just bring the war home to the Russian people, they will become disenchanted with Putin and rise up to overthrow the mad dictator and *bang* another successful color revolution! Strategic bombing might degrade war-fighting ability, but it is more likely to convince the public that NATO is a threat and harden support for Putin.
Also, who named these things ATACMS? Attack-Ems sounds like a breakfast cereal. Now with extra fructose!
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Meghan Markle oozed glamour as she laughed with her friends at a glitzy launch party in Los Angeles this week - without her husband Prince Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, has ventured out solo a few times in the last few months, most recently attending the glitzy launch party for her latest investment on Thursday night.
Meghan put on a glamorous display in a sleeveless £660 black top, featuring a sweetheart neckline, from New York brand Khaite, and wide-leg trousers as she supported her friend and A-lister hairdresser Kadi Lee in Venice, California.
Posing up a storm at the celeb-loved restaurant Gjelina, the pals were celebrating the launch of Kadi's new Highbrow Hippie hair wellness range, which Meghan has invested in.
New photographs from the glamorous night out show Meghan dancing with her friends to a gospel choir performance in her strapless black ensemble.
Apparently Her Grace, in another attempt to make the family financially independent, invested in the lady’s product line. Let us wish her luck in the hope that her success means we needn’t hear any more about her.
[IsraelTimes] Ankara, where many politburo members already live with their families, a practical landing spot after Doha pulls out of talks, but Turkey risks running afoul of Biden administration "Biden Administration" LOL!
Senior members of Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s abroad leadership left Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... last week for The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel on Sunday, after Doha said it was walking away from efforts to mediate an end to the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... The Arab diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, downplayed the significance of the move for the terror group, stressing that Hamas’s leadership abroad already spends much of its time in Turkey when they are not holding meetings in Qatar.
The departure of Hamas’s senior politburo from Doha was first reported by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.
On November 8, the US revealed that it had asked Qatar to oust Hamas officials from Doha, which has hosted an office for the terror group since 2012, reportedly at Washington’s urging. The US said it made the request after Hamas rejected repeated hostage deal proposals and executed six captives, including an American citizen.
The next day, Qatar said it had halted its mediation efforts and a diplomat familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that Doha had asked Hamas leaders in late October to leave the country, though no timeline was mentioned.
Doha stressed at the time that its decision wasn’t necessarily permanent and that it would be prepared to resume mediation efforts if the sides were willing to negotiate in good faith toward a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
According to the diplomat who spoke at the time, Qatar decided to push out Hamas’s big shots on its own after determining that neither side had been willing to engage seriously in negotiations.
Turkey offers a practical option for Hamas, given that the families of many of the terror group’s diaspora leadership live there.
However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... by formally hosting senior Hamas members, Ankara risks tensions with the Biden administration, which said earlier this month that none of its allies should be hosting the terror group. US President-elect Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... is not expected to soften that stance when he enters office in January.
Ankara has played a nominal role in hostage talks to date, given its long-standing ties with Hamas officials. It remains to be seen whether Turkey will begin taking on a larger role in talks now that Qatar has taken a step back.
After Israel killed Hamas’s Gaza-based leader Yayha Sinwar in mid-October, the US expressed hope that it would lead to a breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, framing Sinwar as the main obstacle to an agreement.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt viewed the matter differently, acknowledging Sinwar’s uncompromising negotiating stances while also arguing that talks would be more difficult to hold without a centralized Hamas leadership, Arab and US officials told The Times of Israel.
Moreover, the Arab mediators have placed more blame on Israel than the US, noting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to agree to an open-ended ceasefire and full troop withdrawal, even in exchange for all remaining hostages. In July, the premier added new conditions to an Israeli truce offer after Hamas agreed to much of the proposal.
Netanyahu’s critics have accused him of prioritizing his own political survival over the lives of the hostages, given that his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down the government if he agrees to proposals floated thus far.
Others have argued that the offers discussed to date fall short of Israel’s demands and would leave Hamas intact in Gaza to some degree, leaving the threat to southern Israel in place.
Netanyahu held a meeting with government ministers and top defense officials Sunday night to discuss the hostage crisis. Security chiefs were reportedly expected to warn that Israel would need to show more flexibility in talks to free the hostages, who are facing dire conditions.
According to a poll aired by Channel 12 news last week, 69 percent of Israelis said they support a hostage deal that would end the war compared to 20% who prefer continuing fighting.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
#4
In 1988 Hamas was created as an arm of the Ikhwan al-Muslimeen, the international Muslim Brotherhood.
Sometime in 1999 or 2000, Mr. (Gazevan Masri, AKA in Turkish, Gazi) Misirli became a trustee of the European Trust, a part of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), known to be the umbrella group representing the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.The Trust describes itself as a “Waqf,” an Arabic term meaning a religious endowment in the form of a property earning revenues, as regulated by Islamic law. Since renamed the “Europe Trust,” the organization has amassed a real-estate portfolio of income-earning properties.... At the time Mr. Misirli joined the Trust, as well as at the present, the other trustees included some of the most important Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Europe, such as Ibrahim El-Zayat, the leader of the German Muslim Brotherhood, and Fouad Alaoui, one of the leaders of the French Muslim Brotherhood. Illustrative of Mr. Misirli’s close connections to the current Turkish government, in April 2009 he offered on an online forum to forward letters to the office of Prime Minister Erdogan. Etc.
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
11/18/2024 9:40
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"It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet."
Hassan al-Banna, Founder of the MB
IOW Hamas, and by extension Erdogan and Qatar want to transform the entire world into a totalitarian Islamic slave empire.
Their likelihood of succsess might be low but in this instance it is the evil thought that should count.
Any Western nation that is allied with 21th century Turkey and/or Qatar doesn't really need enemies.
#7
Interesting. Albert Pelosi3459, I ran a search on your three MB names; while Misirli does not show up, the other two are in the Rantburg archives, findable using the Rantburg Search thingy in the right margin just below the Today’s Headlines bar. (Rantburg won’t post comments that have more than one link — Ii keep forgetting that.)
Definitely Trump, NN2N1.
Elmerert Hupens2660, I would argue that Hamas is the junior partner in this Muslim Brotherhood venture, but really that’s just quibbling — they’re all tentacles on the same octopus, and see themselves so. After all, the plan goes back to Hassan al Banna in Egypt, where at the moment the Ikhwan is keeping its head well down.
At some point Turkey is going to have to be cut off, which is why the EU keeps not making them a member.
#8
A major Muslim Brotherhood meeting was held in Turkey in (as I recall) 2010. At that point the nexus of the organization moved to Turkey. Present at the meeting was Yusuf Qaradawi, the MB mufti now deceased and Erdogan. Qaradawi was then residing in Qatar. However, the al-Thani family that rules Qatar might approve Qaradawi's stay it did not want to be seen as the home of what is in reality an Egyptian-centered organization. The Thani are smart. Smart enough to entice Washington to invest in an Islamist mini-nation. On the other hand Erdogan is seen as someone who personally wants to be seen as the leader of Sunni Muslims and return Turkey to the days of Mohammed Ali.
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
11/18/2024 18:57
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#9
Sorry, Qaradawi was the Muslim Brotherhood Cadi, or religious leader, not its Mufti.
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
11/18/2024 19:03
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[IsraelTimes] The terror group is said to be led by five top officials representing its various components, but experts say that its war strategy and red lines in talks are unlikely to shift
This month, Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... announced the suspension of its mediation role between Israel and Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... concerning a potential Gazoo ceasefire and hostage release. At the same time, Doha refrained from confirming whether it would close Hamas’s office in the country, despite requests from the Biden administration to do so.
Qatar has hosted Hamas officials in Doha since 2012, when the terror group moved its headquarters out of Damascus amid the Syrian civil war; Washington had urged Qatar to serve as a conduit to the terror group, much as the Gulf state had done by hosting a Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... embassy.
Even if the group were expelled from Qatar, it’s not clear who the order would apply to, with Hamas’s leadership structure made suddenly opaque by the killings of its last two chiefs Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... and Yahya Sinwar in recent months.
Following the losses, the terror group has reportedly opted against appointing an immediate successor. Instead, a five-member committee based in Doha is said to have taken over leadership responsibilities.
According to Hamas sources speaking to AFP, the committee was set up in August following the liquidation of Haniyeh in Tehran. While Sinwar was named head of the group, the fact that he was in hiding in Gaza made communication difficult, necessitating an alternative. When Israeli forces killed Sinwar on October 16, the quinquevirate stepped in.
The collective leadership structure could be a defensive strategy for Hamas, nominating five heads rather than a single chief who would immediately be in Israel’s crosshairs.
But the group also appears to want to present Paleostinians with an "inclusive" leadership committee, one that spans Gaza and the West Bank and includes both political and religious figures, as it navigates a period of profound crisis for its future.
"This appears to be mostly a symbolic decision to indicate that all components of Hamas are represented," said Hamas expert Guy Aviad, a former official in the IDF’s History Department, which maintains the military’s official annals.
"Joint leadership is not necessarily aimed at preventing assassinations. If Israel wanted to eliminate a number of leaders, it could do so," Aviad told The Times of Israel, adding that Israel is unlikely to conduct liquidations within Qatar or The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... The current governance structure will be in place until the terror group holds elections for a new leader, which are scheduled for March next year, according to AFP.
There is also speculation that Hamas may have already secretly appointed a new leader but is concealing his identity, a tactic used in 2004 after the assassinations of leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi within months of each other. A Hamas source told the BBC in October that the movement is likely to keep the identity of its new leader secret for security reasons.
PARTY OF FIVE
According to Hamas sources who spoke to AFP, the committee is composed of five politburo members:
Khalil al-Hayya: Previously Sinwar’s deputy, he currently acts as the liaison between Hamas in Gaza and abroad. He relocated to Qatar from Gaza shortly before the October 7 attack and is seen as a probable candidate to lead the organization in the future, chiefly because of his proximity to the Iranian regime.
Khaled Mashaal: Head of the foreign politburo abroad, he is the most well-known and experienced Hamas official alive, having led the politburo for 22 years between 1996 and 2017. Despite his credentials, he is not touted as a potential future leader — Yahya Sinwar himself reportedly rejected his candidacy. Mashaal has strained relations with Tehran, dating back to when he turned against Syrian President Bashar Assad, a close Iran ally, during the Syrian civil war. After Hamas was booted from Syria, Mashaal became persona non grata in Tehran as well, while most of the group’s politburo increasingly gravitated toward the Iranian regime. In early October, he met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Doha, where he currently resides, indicating a possible rapprochement.
Zaher Jabarin: In charge of Hamas in the West Bank since January, he lives in Istanbul and supervises the terror group’s finance department. Jabarin is believed to be behind attempts to revive Hamas’s strategy of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians in recent months. Israeli security officials indicated that an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in August had been overseen by Hamas in Turkey, suggesting Jabarin’s direct involvement in the plot.
Muhammad Ismail Darwish: Darwish heads Hamas’s Shura Council, a religious advisory body composed of about 50 clerics. Darwish was an unknown figure until reports in the Arab media in August claimed that he would succeed Haniyeh as the head of the terror group, though Sinwar got the nod in the end. Very little is known about him other than he lives in Qatar.
An unnamed fifth official: The identity of the fifth committee member is unknown, but it can be presumed that the group would appoint at least one member who is still inside the Gaza Strip. Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, told The Times of Israel that an anonymous source close to Hamas named the figure as Nizar Awadullah, a politburo member who was a runner up to Sinwar in internal elections in 2021. Awadullah is thought to still be living in the Strip.
Notably absent from the list is Yahya Sinwar’s brother Muhammad, considered to be the de facto commander-in-chief of military operations in Gaza, where he is believed to be. (Israel says it killed titular armed wing head Mohammed Deif.)
According to experts, Muhammad Sinwar is not a political figure, making him an unlikely choice for the leadership council. Nonetheless, he still wields sizable influence within Hamas thanks to his control of Hamas’s forces in Gaza and of the Israeli hostages.
STAYING THE COURSE
The ability of the leadership quintet to influence actions within Gaza remains uncertain due to ongoing communications difficulties between the Strip and the rest of the world. The IDF’s monitoring of mobile communications complicates Hamas’s coordination, leading the group to rely on encryption technology or hard-to-come-by satellite phones.
Despite the difficulties in communication, it appears that for the time being the new leadership has not enacted any major shifts in its strategy, whether on the military front or in negotiations for a ceasefire deal.
On the battlefield, experts expect the group to continue fighting a war of attrition against the Israeli military until there is an agreement that meets its conditions: an open-ended halt to hostilities, a full withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip, the release of Palestinian detainees in return for hostages, and guarantees that it will not be wiped out after the hostages are freed.
Until those demands are met, the group is expected to keep conducting guerrilla operations with what forces it has left, while hanging onto the hostages both as a bargaining chip and a cudgel, “deepening the wound inside Israeli society” and the fracture between citizens and their political leaders, Aviad said.
“Hamas will not change its principles and will not accept a deal that diverges from its conditions,” he said. “Right now, it is in a win-win situation: if it gets its way in negotiations, all the better. If not, it will keep embittering the lives of Israelis, to hold the hostages captive and spill the blood of soldiers and reservists.”
The only area where the joint leadership might show some flexibility is in the details of a ceasefire deal, Milshtein said.
To advance negotiations, it might agree to a staged IDF pullout, with some troops remaining after some hostages were released, but the leadership committee won’t back off the demand for all IDF troops to leave Gaza by a final stage, the expert said. Under Sinwar, the terror group had already shown some flexibility on the timing of the IDF withdrawal.
A PARTIAL BREAKUP WITH HAMAS
Experts concur that the expulsion of Hamas leaders from Qatar currently seems unlikely – similar rumors have circulated before.
The Gulf petrostate has temporarily pulled back its involvement on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, but it benefits greatly from its role mediating between the US and groups Washington finds too odious to engage with directly. Doha is unlikely to risk surrendering that prestigious position, and will probably resume its mediating role on Gaza at some point in the future, Aviad said.
However, things might change under President-elect Donald Trump, whose administration may seek to flex its muscles in the Middle East.
Qatar’s recent suspension of mediation could signal its nervousness about Trump, Milshtein suggested, particularly recalling the country’s isolation during the 2017-2021 boycott by Saudi Arabia and four other Arab states.
It may also be a tactic to put pressure on Hamas and demand more flexibility while the getting is good.
“Doha knows that once Trump becomes president, it will be much tougher for them to mediate between the parties,” Milshtein said, referring to the pro-Israel slant that the Trump administration is expected to follow.
However, it will take “enormous pressure” for Qatar to ultimately expel Hamas, Milshtein said. For instance, the Pentagon could threaten to pull out of Qatar’s al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East.
International pressure of this type has worked in the past. The Saudi-led boycott is considered to be the catalyst for Qatar’s expulsion of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in 2017. Al-Arouri was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut at the beginning of the year.
“The Qataris know how to be more flexible and take steps when they are under pressure,” Milshtein said. “But I don’t think right now that pressure is enough.”
[IsraelTimes] Kfir soldiers killed in sniper attack, clash with Hamas gunmen Beit Lahiya; among them is nephew of Gadi Eisenkot; Hamas officials claim dozens killed or injured in an airstrike
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the deaths of three soldiers killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip in the past day, while Hamas-controlled officials in the Palestinian enclave claimed that dozens were killed or injured in an airstrike on a building.
The slain troops were named as:
Sgt. First Class (res.) Idan Keinan, 21, from Ramat Gan.
Cpt. Yogev Pazy, 22, from Giv’ot Bar
Staff Sgt. Noam Eitan, 21, from Hadera
They all served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion.
According to an initial IDF probe, Keinan was killed by sniper fire on Saturday in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.
Pazy — a platoon commander — and Eitan, were killed on Sunday morning in an exchange of fire with Hamas operatives, also in the Beit Lahiya area. Another soldier with the battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF said.
Their deaths brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas and during operations on the border to 378.
Pazy was the nephew of former IDF chief of staff and former war cabinet observer minister Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot’s son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, was killed while fighting in Gaza in early December, followed by his nephew, Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, a day later.
Keinan was buried at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery at 4 p.m. He was survived by his parents, a sister, and a brother. His sister Linoy wrote in a social media post that her brother “died as a hero.”
“How did they take you from us?” she asked. “I will never manage to get over a loss such as you.”
She also shared a message that he had written two months ago to his grandmother.
“If the Father in Heaven decides that someone needs to die for our people, it is the greatest merit in the world,” the soldier wrote. “I know what the dangers are and what could happen and I am at peace with that, and more than that, this is the path that I chose and this is the path that I believe every man in the country should choose.”
The military said over the weekend that it was continuing operations in the northern Gaza areas of Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, which have been the targets of an intense offensive since early October.
According to local medics, tens of Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in Beit Lahiya on Sunday. The IDF in response to a query by The Times of Israel on the matter confirmed that the military had targeted several “terror targets” in the Beit Lahiya area overnight, but expressed skepticism over the casualty numbers claimed by Hamas.
“The IDF calls on the media to be careful with the information published by Hamas and the Health Ministry — which operates as a communication arm of Hamas, as has been proven in several previous events,” the IDF said.
“It should be noted that in the recent period, evacuation efforts were made for the civilian population in order to move them from the combat area, alongside the effort to expand the humanitarian space in the Mawasi area,” the military continued, adding that it “IDF acts in a targeted manner and makes great efforts to avoid harming [civilians].”
Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip when a missile hit a house, Gazan medics said. Hamas-controlled Gaza authorities do not distinguish between fighters and civilians in their updates.
The army sent tanks into Beit Lahiya and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, the largest of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, last month in what it said was a campaign to fight Hamas terrorists waging attacks and prevent them from regrouping. It says it has killed hundreds of gunmen in those three areas, which residents said Israeli forces had isolated from Gaza City.
Meanwhile, a Hamas source told the Qatari-run al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper Sunday that there has been no communication with commanders in the field responsible for holding the hostages for about a month as a result of strict security measures around the hostages. The source said that the only way to save the remaining living hostages is via a negotiated agreement for their release that would include a ceasefire. However, the source denied claims that Hamas political leaders no longer have command over fighters in Gaza and asserted that decisions are being coordinated at various levels. The source said that members of the Hamas military wing, the Qassam Brigades, have pledged their allegiance to Hamas’s new leadership, which is based in Qatar. The new leadership was installed after Israel last month killed long-time Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 invasion and massacre, shortly after he had been selected as the overall leader of the terror group.
The source also reported that Hamas’s refusal to provide any information about the hostages, and in particular US citizens it is holding, without receiving something in return has caused Washington to increase pressure on negotiation mediators. He claimed Hamas had refused to provide information or video clips about the captives because the US did not give Hamas convincing indications about ending the fighting.
The source said Hamas had started a recruitment drive for more fighters, the second such campaign since the war started.
When you DON'T want workers taking a 'smoke' break.
[FoxNews] China's Shanghai Kepler Robotics is making waves in the world of humanoid robotics with its innovative Forerunner series.
Its latest humanoid robot, the Forerunner K2, has quickly become a hot topic, showcasing Kepler's commitment to pushing the boundaries of what robots can do.
With each new development, Kepler is not just keeping pace with the competition. It's setting the stage for a future where humanoid robots play an integral role in our everyday lives.
[LibyaReview] On Thursday, Libya’s Presidential Council has officially launched a Public Morality Protection unit, sparking widespread debate and backlash. The newly formed unit aims to enforce public moral standards and safeguard Libya’s cultural identity, but many see it as a move that threatens personal freedoms and could increase government control over daily life.
Headquartered in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , this new unit has a broad mandate. According to the council’s announcement, the Public Morality Protection unit will oversee cultural activities, monitor summer camps, and regulate public events organized by both government and private entities. It will also be tasked with identifying and curbing behaviors considered contrary to Libyan cultural values, sparking concerns over the potential impact on social freedoms.
According to Trabelsi, the unit will impose stricter guidelines on public behaviors, requiring women to wear headscarves, restricting modern youth hairstyles and clothing styles, banning gender mixing in public areas, and imposing new limitations on women’s travel.
This move comes after recent statements by Trabelsi, Libya’s Minister of Interior in the Government of National Unity.
The GNU is the one approved by the UN and supported by Turkey that controls little beyond a few square blocks of downtown Tripoli, not the one where Khalifa Haftar rules the eastern part of the country.
Trabelsi emphasized the need to revive a morality police force to address what he described as "moral corruption" seen both in public spaces and on social media. According to Trabelsi, the unit will impose stricter guidelines on public behaviors, requiring women to wear headscarves, restricting modern youth hairstyles and clothing styles, banning gender mixing in public areas, and imposing new limitations on women’s travel.
Trabelsi argued that these steps are necessary to protect Libyan cultural identity and counter what he views as a growing erosion of social values. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching... the announcement has met with strong reactions from various segments of Libyan society, as well as from international human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... groups.
The proposal has deeply divided Libyan public opinion. Supporters argue that it will help curb moral laxity, strengthen social discipline, and preserve traditional values, while critics warn that it could restrict personal freedoms, erode human rights, and open the door to widespread surveillance and control. Rights groups and activists argue that this move could lead to increased repression under the guise of moral protection, with women especially affected by restrictive dress codes, travel limitations, and restrictions on public presence.
International organizations have also voiced concerns. Amnesty International issued a strong condemnation of Trabelsi’s proposed measures, labeling them as "threats" to fundamental freedoms and an "alarming escalation of repression" in Libya. Amnesty called on the Government of National Unity to reverse these "repressive measures" and urged authorities to prioritize human rights protection and address Libya’s humanitarian crises.
Libya’s efforts to enforce public morality through official units have surfaced periodically under past administrations but were often met with limited success and notable resistance. In Libya’s conservative society, many support initiatives aimed at preserving cultural traditions, while others advocate for greater individual freedoms. The current initiative reflects this ongoing tension but also arrives in a politically complex context.
Since the fall of Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...> in 2011, Libya has been in a state of political flux, with shifting authorities and multiple factions vying for power. As the country seeks stability, rights advocates worry that initiatives like the Public Morality Protection unit could be used to consolidate power and exert social control under the pretense of cultural preservation. Critics argue that this could worsen existing challenges to freedom of expression, especially for women, by imposing dress codes, limiting their movement, and regulating public life.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/18/2024
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#1
The European Union, United Nations, and Turkey supported GNU, without those three, GNU would have collapsed a long time ago. Some say the Globalists are only there for Libyan oil.
Morality Police and let's not forget the Slave Markets in GNU controlled areas, what a great govt for EU to support.
[France24] Russia on Sunday launched relentless aerial bombardment on Ukraine's energy production and distribution facilities, firing 120 missiles and nearly 100 drones across the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Following the attack, Ukraine announced it would be introducing nationwide emergency power restrictions on Monday.
That’s nice, dear. Go take your thumb for comfort as you continue sitting in your corner, plotting the demise of the Great Satan and the Small Satan. Allah ensured that you would run out of time.
[RT] The US owes Iran a trillion dollars for the decades of economic sanctions, a senior official in Tehran has said, while accusing Washington of supporting terrorism.
In a speech on Saturday, Ali Shamkhani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the US-led West – which he called the “Arrogant Front” – of trying “to use different tricks in the form of their own hybrid war” to undermine the country.
The official claimed that “the Americans themselves openly admit that they formed [the terrorist groups] ISIS and Al-Qaeda” in a bid to create a rift between Iran and its neighbors, as well as to protect its ally and Tehran’s arch foe, Israel.
Shamkhani went on to denounce US sanctions against Iran, which were first introduced after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Americans should pay a trillion dollars in damages to Iran because they held back our country for 25 years,” he said.
Over the decades since the Islamic Revolution, the US has imposed several rounds of economic sanctions on Iran while designating it a “state sponsor of terrorism.” The only notable rapprochement between the countries took place in 2015, when Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for partial sanctions relief. In 2018, however, the administration of Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reimposing sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry and finances.
In 2021, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed that US sanctions had inflicted $1 trillion worth of damage on Iran’s economy while demanding compensation from Washington as a prerequisite for a return to the nuclear deal.
Shamkhani’s comments come after an Iranian court ruled in December 2023 that the US government, including the US Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the National Security Agency, and CIA, should pay nearly $50 billion in damages for the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, as well as issue a public apology to the more than 3,000 Iranian citizens who filed the lawsuit.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
11/18/2024
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[11154 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
NEWS TO IRAN
The fools running the US Gov for Biden, are no longer in charge. They are busy planning their OCONUS exit, or hiring lawyers.
However, IRAN, you still owe 53 US citizens held hostage, the 443 days of their life back.
#2
Better yet, the US should tell Iran…Israel would be the recipient of the trillion dollars ONLY ON CONDITION they destroy Iran’s nuclear ambitions and their oil production facilities along with a forced closure of the Strait of Hormuz to everyone! Not an existential level event but backwards looking 100 years!
#6
And, being forgetful in my senior years, the ongoing attacks on US Military throughout the Middle East.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
11/18/2024 8:17
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#7
This could be the predicate for some creating accounting in Tehran: "See, if we record that as a $1 trillion dollar account receivable the budget is balanced!"
Posted by: Matt ||
11/18/2024 9:45
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#8
I thought the Jotato had already copped most of that.
[Mccullough] A massive leak of internal e-mails and memos from Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (federal agency and research institute for controlling infectious disease) reveals that the institute's scientists understood that virtually every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic response was NOT guided by science, but by political machinations to spread fear, control the population, and promote the experimental vaccines. On November 2, 2024, Professor Stefan Homburg gave a presentation on the leaked documents in the German Parliament.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have suspected that governments throughout the world were committing the greatest organized fraud in history, but I still found Professor Homburg's presentation to be absolutely breathtaking in the sheer ruthlessness of the lies and manipulation revealed in these leaked documents. Perhaps the most perfidious is a memo from September 28, 2020.
Translation: 28.09.2020: FDA approval [of COVID-19 vaccines] before the US Elections is not desired, also not by European authorities.
In other words, both U.S. and European public health authorities were afraid the COVID-19 vaccines—which had been heralded as the forthcoming saviors of mankind—could help to get Donald Trump elected if they were approved before the election. And so they found it expedient to withhold approval until after the election, even though they claimed the vaccines could save millions of lives.
I strongly encourage everyone to watch the video presentation (in German with English subtitles) and to share it far and wide.
#3
@1 Skid, it's more than a "real possibility". It's been obvious for years. Here's a 2023 Baric paper[0]. Note the that the spike RNA sequence was supplied by SHI Zhengli, who happens to be the the director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
From the Author Contributions section at the end: Z.-L.S. provided SHC014 spike sequences and plasmids. R.S.B. designed experiments and wrote manuscript.
Z.-L.S. is Zheng-Li Shi and R.S.B is Ralph Baric.
When the gain of function work stopped at UNC, Shi continued it at Wuhan, with funding funneled through Peter Dazak[1].
#5
And in case your eyes glazed over reading the abstract, here's the end:
Evaluation of available SARS-based immune-therapeutic and prophylactic modalities revealed poor efficacy; both monoclonal antibody and vaccine approaches failed to neutralize and protect from infection with CoVs using the novel spike protein. On the basis of these findings, we synthetically re-derived an infectious full-length SHC014 recombinant virus and demonstrate robust viral replication both in vitro and in vivo. Our work suggests a potential risk of SARS-CoV re-emergence from viruses currently circulating in bat populations.
[FoxNews] The former Van Halen singer said the theft of the two trucks was a 'huge setback' but he and Fieri were 'glad nobody was hurt during this crime'
Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar's tequila business took a major hit after two of their freight trucks carrying $1 million in products were stolen.
Even their trucks fell off the truck.
The celebrity chef, 56, and the former Van Halen singer, 77, are the co-owners of the tequila brand Santo Spirits. A representative for Hagar told Fox News Digital that the trucks were hijacked over the weekend of Nov. 9 in Laredo, Texas.
The missing trucks were carrying 24,240 bottles of Santo Blanco and Reposado as well as a specially made Extra Añejo, which was created over the course of 39 months.
Hagar's rep said "it appears this was an organized crime effort where the trucks were illegally double brokered to different carriers who transferred the product to their trucks" after they crossed over the border from Mexico to Texas.
Fieri told People that workers at their Mexican distillery were "on a 24/7 schedule right now" to replace the stolen tequila.
However, Fieri said that it was unlikely that they would be able to fully replenish their tequila supply in time for the holidays, during which Santos Spirits typically sees its highest volume of sales.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
Best I can figure is that someone on korrespondent.net forgot to link the latest to its front page. But they're back.
[Korrespondent] 13.43 Soldier Natalia Grabarchuk destroyed an enemy cruise missile from an Igla MANPADS during her first combat launch. As noted by the General Staff, she had mastered various types of portable anti-aircraft missile systems five months before.
13.04 F-16 pilots shot down about ten Russian air targets on Sunday, November 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported.
Over the course of a week, the aggressor used nearly 140 missiles of various types, more than 900 guided aerial bombs and more than 600 attack drones.
12:22 On the night of November 17, the Russians carried out a massive combined attack on facilities in the energy sector of Ukraine, using 120 missiles of various types and 90 attack UAVs.
Ukrainian air defenders destroyed 102 enemy missiles, including Tsirkon and eight Kinzhal, as well as 42 UAVs.
11.17 The head of the Odessa regional administration, Oleg Kiper, said that two people were killed as a result of the Russian attack on the region. A 17-year-old young man was also wounded.
10.49 As a result of the enemy attack, the energy infrastructure of the Odessa region was damaged. There are interruptions in the supply of heat, water and electricity in the region.
10.30 In Nikopol, a 58-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman were killed as a result of enemy shelling, and five more local residents were injured.
10.13 Russian troops attacked Lviv region with cruise missiles. As a result of falling debris in Chervonograd district, a woman died.
9.56 During Sunday's massive combined attack on all regions of Ukraine, the enemy used about 120 missiles and 90 drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Air defense forces destroyed more than 140 Russian air targets.
9.53 On November 17, two railway workers were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region due to massive enemy shelling. In addition, several railway sections in the south, west and northeast of Ukraine were without power.
8.07 As a result of the Russian attack on the civilian infrastructure of Nikolaev, two civilians were killed and six more were injured.
8.04 The large-scale attack by the Russian Federation on Sunday is the response of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to those who recently called and visited him, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on the social network X.
7.52 From February 24, 2022 to November 17, 2024, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 720,880 people (+1,640 per day), the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
7.45 As a result of a combined missile and drone strike on Kiev, a fire broke out on the roof of a five-story residential building in the Pechersk district. One victim was identified.
7:30 In the morning, Russian troops launched a massive air attack on Ukraine using drones and missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force and monitoring channels report.
According to media reports, explosions were heard in Zaporozhye, Odessa, Dnepr, Krivoy Rog, Pavlograd, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
The Russian Ministry of Defense again failed to post a summary on its website. These are the summaries from the Russian Ministry of Justice.
[NewsFront] 21:43 From 16.40 to 18.00 Moscow time stopped attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type UAVs against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the territory of the Kursk region and two UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region by air defense systems on duty.
20:31 Governor of the Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov:
Four drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces inflicted strikes on our territory. Preliminary, no one was hurt.
– In the village of Maysky in the Belgorod region, as a result of a drone attack, the glazing of a social facility was damaged.
- Two kamikaze drones struck the village of Gruzskoye in the Borisovsky district. Windows were broken in one private home, the facade, outbuilding and fence were damaged. A passenger car and a power line were also damaged. One of the streets remains temporarily without power.
– Another drone attacked the village of Biryuch in the Valuysky District again, as a result of which a passenger car was damaged.
19:44 According to the operational lines of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC for November 17 as of 16:00 entered information on civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district):
- A man born in 1983 was injured on Paul Robson Street.
Information has been received about damage as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district):
- the gas pipeline was damaged, and the heat supply infrastructure of the boiler house of the State Unitary Enterprise of the DPR "Donbassteploenergo" was also disrupted.
Information about the consequences of the shelling continues to arrive.
19:25 Main Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia excited criminal case on the fact of the terrorist attack committed by Ukrainian armed groups against civilians in the Kursk region
On November 17, 2024, militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other Ukrainian paramilitary groups and members of mercenary formations, using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an explosive device, carried out an attack in the village of Bolshoe Soldatskoe, Bolshesoldatsky district, Kursk region, on an official vehicle of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in which there was a police officer, as well as two employees of the Narodnaya Gazeta.
– As a result of these criminal actions, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper died, and her colleague and a police officer were injured.
Military investigators have qualified the criminal actions of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as other Ukrainian paramilitary groups and members of mercenary formations, under paragraph “b” of Part 3 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
18:52 DPR Representative Office in the JCCC:
Recorded shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of:
At about 17:30 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty.
17:51 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Around 14:20 Moscow Time stopped an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Kursk region by air defense systems on duty.
17:02 DPR Representative Office in the JCCC:
Recorded shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of:
– Katerinovka settlement – Gorlovka settlement (Nikitovsky district): 2 shells of 155 mm caliber.
16:35 Ukrainian sniper-occupier Yuriy Senchuk has been eliminated in the border area of Kursk region —photo.
15:49 Governor of Zaporizhia region Yevgeny Balitsky:
Armed Forces of Ukraine committed artillery shelling of the village of Velyka Znamenka in the Kamensko-Dneprovsky municipal district. As a result of the attack, the expansion tank and radiator of the power transformer were punctured. The regular power supply was disrupted, 73 subscribers are without power. Repair work is underway, by the end of the day the power supply should be fully restored.
– In the village of Nelgovka in the Primorsky district, as a result of the fall of an enemy UAV, a power line was broken; emergency services and repair crews are working on the scene.
15:17 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Around 12.50 Moscow Time stopped an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty.
14:21 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Around 11:30 Moscow Time stopped an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty.
13:59 DPR Representative Office in the JCCC:
Recorded shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of:
– Katerinovka settlement – Gorlovka settlement (Nikitovsky district): 2 shells of 155 mm caliber.
13:27 DPR Representative Office in the JCCC:
Recorded shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of:
12:55 Gorlovka under fire: gas pipeline is broken, there is no power in some places, a woman was injured
Armed Forces of Ukraine lead shelling of Gorlovka, 8 155mm shells have already been fired. As a result, houses in the settlement of the N. A. Izotov mine in the Nikitovsky district have been damaged, the heat supply infrastructure has been disrupted, and a gas pipeline has been cut.
- The microdistrict "Kvartal 245" is partially without power. The enemy is currently shelling "Komsomolets".
– In addition, a local resident was injured in the village of Novgorodskoye.
12:29 DPR Representative Office in the JCCC:
Recorded shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of:
– Katerinovka settlement – Gorlovka settlement (Nikitovsky district): 3 shells of 155 mm caliber.
11:56 “I don’t let homeless people, drunks, or TCC in”:
Zaporizhzhya minibus drivers put TCC employees are put on the same level as drunks and homeless people.
11:22 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to shell civilian infrastructure of populated areas of the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces released:
– 6 shells in the village of Novaya Kakhovka;
– 5 shells to the settlement of Tavriysk;
– 4 shells in the village of Dnepryany;
– 5 shells to the village of Korsunka;
– 3 shells to the settlement of Velikiye Kopani;
– 6 shells in the village of Gornostaevka;
– 4 shells to the settlement of Kairy;
- 2 shells in the village of Zavodovka.
As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, one civilian was injured in the settlement of Novaya Kakhovka, and an apartment building and a private residential building were damaged. In the settlement of Velyki Kopani, as a result of shelling of a residential sector, a civilian was killed.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Proletarka, Novaya Mayachka, Novaya Kakhovka, Aleshky, Kakhovka, and Korsunka, firing a total of 22 shells from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being clarified.
10:53 Investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate more crimes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the civilian population of Zaporizhia, Kherson regions and the Donetsk People's Republic
– According to reports from the executive authorities, during the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Zaporizhia region in the village of Basan, Pologovsky municipal district, as a result of a Ukrainian UAV strike on a passenger car, four people were injured, a woman born in 1977 died from her injuries on the spot. The explosion was recorded in the building of an operating medical center in the village of Verkhnyaya Krinitsa, a man born in 1967 received a shrapnel wound to the head.
– As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, a civilian born in 1958 received a shrapnel wound.
– As a result of the Ukrainian armed aggression on the territory of the DPR, a civilian was wounded in the village of Aksenovka. Also, as a result of the attack of an unmanned aerial vehicle on the territory of Gorlovka, two civilians were wounded. In addition, in the settlement of Panteleimonovka, as a result of the UAV attack, a man born in 1968 was wounded.
10:28 Over the past 24 hours, investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee recorded crimes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the civilian population of the DPR
– Thus, a residential area of the Central City District of Gorlovka was subjected to artillery shelling, against which the enemy used 155-mm caliber barrel artillery.
– In addition, in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk and the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka, Ukrainian militants have repeatedly dropped explosive objects using UAVs.
– In total, 1 residential building, 1 civilian infrastructure facility, and 1 car were damaged by DPR shelling.
09:51 Governor of Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Glakdov:
Information about Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes inflicted on our region over the past 24 hours:
– An air defense system shot down an aircraft-type UAV over Belgorod. No consequences.
– In the Belgorod district, the settlements of Maysky, Malinovka and Oktyabrsky, the villages of Bessonovka, Vergilevka, Zhuravlevka, Naumovka, Nikolskoye, Petrovka, Repnoye and Shchetinovka, as well as the Valkovsky farm were subjected to 5 artillery shellings, during which 40 rounds of ammunition were fired, and attacks by 12 UAVs, of which 6 were shot down by the air defense system. A social facility, a car and a power line were damaged.
– In the Borisovsky district, the village of Gruzskoye was attacked using 7 drones. A private house, 2 outbuildings and a car were damaged, which received significant damage.
– In the Volokonovsky district, the villages of Plotvyanka and Shakhovka were shelled, during which three shells were fired and one explosive device was dropped from a UAV. The power line was damaged.
– In the Graivoronsky municipal district, the village of Kozinka was subjected to one attack, during which 2 rounds of ammunition were fired. No damage.
– An air defense system shot down an aircraft-type drone over the Prokhorovsky district. No consequences.
– In the Shebekinsky municipal district, 12 rounds of ammunition were fired during 3 attacks in the city of Shebekino, the villages of Murom, Rzhevka, Sereda, and the farms of Maryino and Mukhin, and attacks were carried out using 14 UAVs, 3 of which were shot down. Over the past 24 hours, a four-apartment and two private houses, a power line, as well as three industrial buildings, a warehouse, equipment, and two trucks on the territory of two enterprises were damaged.
09:23 Russian Ministry of Defense:
During the past night stopped attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type UAVs against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
– Two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems on duty over the territory of the Belgorod region.
– Four unmanned boats heading towards the Crimean Peninsula were destroyed by fire weapons on duty in the Black Sea.
08:42 On the border territory of the Kursk region, the occupier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Artur Grigoryan was liquidated —photo.
08:05 Official summary DPR representative offices in the JCCC over the past day:
10 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC.
There were no reports of civilian injuries.
Damaged:
- 1 residential building,
– 1 car,
– 1 civil infrastructure facility.
1 shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk direction,
9 shellings by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Horlivka direction.
All Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 25 units of various ammunition.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement struck a target in the city of Eilat in southern Israel. This was reported on his page on the X social network (formerly Twitter) by the movement's military spokesman Yahya Saria.
“The Air Force <…> carried out a military operation against a key Israeli enemy target in the Umm al-Rashrash area (the Arabic name for Eilat. – Ed.) in the south of occupied Palestine using drones,” he wrote on November 16.
Once again confusing wish and fulfillment. Inshallah.
Saria stressed that such strikes will continue until Israel abandons its aggressive policies in Gaza and Lebanon.
On November 12, Saria announced a successful attack on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. According to Yemeni media, the operation lasted eight hours. In addition to the aircraft carrier, the Houthis attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
Attacked, yes. Beyond that, nothing.
On October 28, Ansar Allah reported attacks on three commercial vessels using missiles and drones. It was noted that in the southern Arabian Sea, the SC Montreal was attacked by two drones, the bulk carrier Motaro was attacked with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, and a cruise missile was fired at the Maersk Kowloon in the Arabian Sea.
On October 22, the Houthis announced their first strike using a hypersonic missile against an Israeli military base in Tel Aviv.
Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen's Houthis have warned that they will shell Israeli territory and prevent ships linked to the Jewish state from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Since October 7, 2023, they have attacked more than 190 ships linked to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.
[AmericanThinker] There have been thousands of words written about the 2024 presidential election, but I think Jeffrey Tucker’s article at Brownstone best summarized the sea change in votes cast, and Victor Davis Hanson best describes the cabinet nominees so far of greatest significance, people selected in part to avenge their treatment by the prior lawless administration.
Tucker argues that what we are seeing is an actual, not purported, transfer of power. A transfer from a permanent government to a new one actually responsive to actual voters against pollster predictions:
What was correct were the betting odds on Polymarket, and only days later, the FBI raided the 26-year-old founder’s home and confiscated his phone and laptop. There are still many millions of missing voters, people who supposedly showed up for Biden in 2020 but stayed home this time. Meanwhile, there has been a historic shift in all races, ethnicities, and regions, with even the possibility of flipping California from blue to red in the future. After decades of academic slicing and dicing of the population according to ever more eccentric identity buckets involving race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual interest, along with countless thousands of studies documenting deep complexity over intersectionality, the driving force of the election was simple: class, and the few intellectuals and some wealthy entrepreneurs who understand that. The division was not really left vs right. It was workers vs laptoppers, wage earners vs six-figure stay-at-homers, bottom half vs top 5 percent, people with actual skills vs weaponized resume wielders, and those with affection for old-world values vs those whose educations have beaten it out of them for purposes of career advancement. The silent majority has never been so suddenly loud. It just so happened that the heavily privileged had come to inhabit easily identifiable sectors of American society and, in the end, had no choice but hitch the whole of the overclass wagon to the fortunes of a candidate like themselves (Kamala) but who was unable to pull off a compelling masquerade. Not even a parade of well-paid celebrity endorsements could save her from total rebuke at the polls.
#3
There is a question about whether the coalition can have permanence. I think it can, if the proposed changes and improvements actually take place. Vance and Gabbard are smart enough to steer this for another 8 years beyond Trump’s second term. The enemy of this enterprise remains corrupt and stupid people, the DC denizens. The swamp needs to be drained not swallowed.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/18/2024 7:38
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#4
Grom the Reflective all AOC really has to do to see why the Democrats lost the election is look in the mirror.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/18/2024 11:20
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#5
In SEC v. Jarkesy (2024), SCOTUS restricted the use of "administrative law judges" by agencies. The same agency that wrote the rules shouldn't be able to prosecute citizens in “courts” that it controls.
These agency administrative courts have allowed the proliferation of regulations outside of Congress for a too long a time. It's resulted in the leviathan of regulations that strangle business today.
[LibyaReview] On Sunday, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $3.25 million in emergency aid to support 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 refugees who have fled to Libya.
The funds will be channeled through the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... World Food Programme (WFP) to address the urgent needs of thousands of Sudanese who have crossed into Libya since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan.
The crisis, which began in April 2023, has forced over 99,000 Sudanese to seek refuge in Libya, with the UN registering 28,000 refugees through its High Commissioner for Refugees.
WFP reports that southeastern Libya, particularly Al Kufra, has experienced the largest influx of refugees due to its proximity to the Sudanese border. This sudden arrival has put immense pressure on local resources, leading to severe shortages of food, water, and healthcare in the region. Although some refugees have managed to reach cities further north, such as Ajdabiya, Benghazi, and Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , the strain on infrastructure and humanitarian resources remains high, especially in Al Kufra.
"The situation for Sudanese refugees in Libya is dire," said Mohammed El-Sheikh, WFP’s Country Representative for Libya. "These families have escaped unimaginable violence, only to face extreme food shortages here. USAID’s support is critical in helping us meet their basic needs and provide them with a sense of stability."
Thanks to this contribution, WFP will deliver over 1,800 metric tons of food between July and December 2024. The aid package includes essential food items, fortified date bars, and specialized nutritional products tailored for vulnerable groups, including children under five, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
Libya has struggled to manage the rising number of refugees and migrants colonists arriving from Sudan, adding pressure to an already fragile infrastructure.
The country hosts over 761,000 migrants colonists, asylum seekers, and refugees from various countries, making it a major transit point in the region. As Sudan’s conflict continues, Libya has become a critical destination for displaced Sudanese families seeking safety from escalating violence and instability in their homeland.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] American media reports that the new Trump administration is going to conduct an official investigation into the US flight from Afghanistan in August 2021 and bring those involved to justice. The scenes of the flight turned out to be no less epic than during the US flight from Vietnam.
With a certain desire, it will not be difficult to bring a number of people to justice for this disgrace - abandoned weapons, abandoned military equipment, abandoned ammunition (in total, the property of six army corps and reinforcement units + special forces was lost), abandoned puppets and accomplices, abandoned drug labs and poppy fields. And much, much more. Ending with the triumphant victory of the Taliban, which was declared "defeated" back in the 2000s.
It looks like Mark Milley will be reminded of his position during the 2020 elections and subsequent statements that he deliberately helped hide important facts from Trump, because the president could not be trusted with responsible decisions. Overall, the topic is very fertile in terms of retribution for those who thought that Trump would not return after 2020. Well, after all, this is the topic of the most shameful military defeat of the United States since the Vietnam War.
The team of US President-elect Donald Trump is compiling a list of high-ranking military personnel who took part in the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and is studying the possibility of holding them accountable. This was reported on Sunday, November 17, by NBC News, citing sources.
According to the TV channel's source, the Republican team is studying the possibility of creating a commission to investigate the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021 during the transition period. It will determine which military leaders were responsible for making this decision, and it will also be considered whether they can be brought to trial.
“They (Trump’s team – Ed.) take this very seriously,” said one of those interviewed.
The candidate for the post of US Secretary of Defense, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, in his book “War on Wars” criticized the withdrawal of troops, saying that the country lost the war and wasted billions of dollars. In his opinion, the new US president should review the composition of the top leadership of the Pentagon and fire those who were unable to fulfill their task. He emphasized that high-ranking military officials were never held accountable for the failures that led to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"These generals lied. They mismanaged. They violated their oath. They failed. They disgraced our troops and our country. They killed people needlessly, and still they hold their positions," he wrote.
Earlier, Trump called the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan a disaster and the most shameful page in the country's history.
Earlier, Regnum News Agency reported that on the night of August 31, 2021, American troops left Afghanistan after 20 years of military presence in the country. This happened after the capture of Kabul on August 15 by members of the Taliban organization (under UN sanctions for terrorist activities).
Already in September, the Taliban announced the composition of the interim government of Afghanistan, headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who held the post of head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been under UN sanctions since 2001.
According to the media, Joe Biden, who is leaving the post of US President after his term expires, leaves behind a "sad legacy". According to the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, the head of the White House failed to cope with the migration crisis, and the results of his foreign policy activities will be clear only after the end of the Ukrainian and Middle Eastern conflicts. It is also noted that the inglorious exit from Afghanistan has become a symbol of national weakness and inspired the US rivals.
I’ve been fascinated by seeing the Russian view of all things American over the past few years.
[LibyaReview] Salem bin Tahia, the head of the High Commission for Municipal Council Elections, announced a preliminary voter turnout of 74% in the first group of municipal elections, which concluded earlier today. The polling centers, encompassing 58 municipalities, reported that the commission had received 96% of the data.
In a presser held on Saturday evening after the polls closed, bin Tahia highlighted that the final tally will be announced within the next two days, as the commission awaits the remaining 4% of data from some centers that had yet to report by 3 PM.
The voter demographics showed significant participation, with 186,055 voters collecting their ballots, including 130,000 men and 56,055 women. A total of 159 lists, representing 1,786 candidates, competed in this electoral round, attracting substantial voter engagement.
Bin Tahia described the elections as a "festival of democracy" that spanned from the eastern municipality of Imsaad to Zaltan in the west and from Al Barkat in the southwest to Al Jouf in the southeast. He also noted that the elections were conducted peacefully without any reported security breaches, attributing this to the vigilance of 24,000 officers and non-commissioned officers deployed to ensure the security of the polling stations.
The elections also saw the involvement of 1,367 observers and 94 local and 14 international journalists, who were granted access to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
At the conference’s conclusion, bin Tahia commended the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Education, and various civil society institutions for their role in promoting the elections through extensive media campaigns, all aimed at ensuring the success of this democratic event.
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11/18/2024
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[LibyaReview] Libya’s former Grand Mufti, Al Sadiq al-Ghiryani, has been a polarizing figure in the country’s turbulent history, with allegations linking him to active support for armed militias and bad boy groups. Over the past 11 years, he has been accused of inciting violence, endorsing foreign interventions, and issuing divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... religious rulings under the guise of defending religion and so-called "mujahideen."
Al-Ghiryani’s controversial fatwas have reportedly fueled conflict in Libya, particularly targeting the Libyan National Army (LNA)
and its supporters. His declarations have been linked to attacks on Libyan soldiers, officers, and civilians. In one widely criticized ruling, he prohibited Moslems from praying behind or listening to those who support the LNA’s Commander-in-Chief, labeling such actions as impermissible. He stated, "A Moslem must not pray behind,
…that’s Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar’s outfit in East Libya. They support the Osama Hammad government in Benghazi, and in turn are supported by Egypt, with whom they share guarding their joint border…
listen to, or associate with them, as engaging with forbidden matters is against Islamic teachings."
In another incendiary fatwa, al-Ghiryani claimed that anyone fighting alongside the LNA and dying in battle would "die a death of ignorance," while those opposing the LNA would achieve martyrdom.
The former Grand Mufti has been a vocal supporter of gangs, appearing on far-right media outlets to justify their actions. These appearances often sought to absolve these groups of accusations, such as targeting civilians or deepening divisions among Libyans.
Al-Ghiryani also issued a fatwa permitting the use of zakat funds to finance gangs, including the purchase of weapons and recruitment of fighters. Additionally, he discouraged repeated pilgrimages to Mecca, urging instead that funds be redirected to militias opposing the LNA.
Al-Ghiryani has been accused of aligning with nations backing the Moslem Brüderbund, reportedly promoting discord within Libya and fostering division. He publicly prayed for the leaders of these countries and urged Arab populations to support their policies.
In another controversial stance, al-Ghiryani openly encouraged illegal migration, urging Libyan and Arab youth to risk perilous journeys across the Mediterranean to Europe. He suggested this would pressure European nations to support the remnants of the Moslem Brüderbund in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and impose their demands on Arab governments.
Al-Ghiryani’s divisive rhetoric extended to praising acts of terrorism. He described the 2017 bombing of the Misrata Court Complex as "divine anger" and endorsed the attack on the Oil Crescent region. Additionally, he called on residents of Ajdabiya, Benghazi, and Derna to join bad boy groups in opposing the LNA.
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.
...every time you hear the phrase 
...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 
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
[Breitbart] Rental car giant Hertz is dramatically expanding its electric vehicle selloff program, with used Tesla Model 3s now available for under $20,000 as the company grapples with mounting EV depreciation costs. Hertz’s heavy investment in Tesla EVs has been a disaster causing massive losses and the loss of its CEO.
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, has repeatedly called for Ukraine to be allowed to strike deep into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on September 12 that this was in fact about the direct involvement of NATO countries in the Ukrainian conflict, since only NATO military personnel can enter flight assignments into Western long-range missile systems. Putin warned that Moscow would take retaliatory measures taking into account the threats that would arise.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...>
...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...
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
