[Rudaw] The new Syrian authority on Saturday appointed a top commander of the Hay'at 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) as the defense minister of the transitional government.
Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent figure in the recent HTS-led offensive that overthrew Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... , was appointed to lead the defense ministry as part of the efforts to fill vacant cabinet seats, Syria media.
In an interview with AFP on Tuesday, he said that they distinguish between Kurds and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the de facto army of the Kurdish enclave in northeast Syria (Rojava).
"We must distinguish between the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish people who are one of the components of the Syrian population. Like all other minorities in Syria, they are entitled to full rights in every aspect of life. This is the problem with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces," Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, told the French news agency.
"To summarise, Syria will not be divided and there will be no federalism inshallah. God willing, all these areas will be under Syria[n authority]," he added.
Millions of Kurds live in Syria, but their exact population is uncertain.
The HTS has not clashed with the US-allied SDF so far, and the latter handed over some parts of the oil-rich eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, which they had taken after Assad’s army fled to encounter the rebels in other parts of the country, to the HTS peacefully.
"At the outset of the incident [the offensive that ousted Assad], HTS informed us that our territories are not their target," SDF chief Mazloum Abdi told local media days after the rebels took over Damascus. "We have agreements with HTS regarding Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor."
When the HTS took over Aleppo city, they allowed the SDF to maintain its control of Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, mainly Sheikh Maqsood.
The Kurdish administration in Rojava has also decided to raise the new flag of the country, previously used by the opposition, across its institutions.
Referring to it as "the flag of independence," Abdi said the flag is "suitable" for them "because this is not the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic but the flag of the Syrian Republic, which represents all components."
Abdi also said that they would send a delegation to Damascus to meet with the new authority.
"We want a democratic Syria where everyone has their rights... it's time for us to have our place in a Syria of justice and equality," he said during a recent interview with La Belle France 24.
Riad Darar, former co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), political wing of the SDF, told Rudaw on Saturday that they had twice had contact with the new rulers in Damascus "to open borders between us."
In another effort to appease the HTS-led government, the Kurdish administration also removed tax on goods being imported from Damascus-held areas which were in place for years.
In a recent message to the Kurds, the HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharra, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, sought to ease their fears, saying they are "part of the homeland" and "there will be no injustice" against them.
"The coming Syria will have the Kurds as an essential component, and we will live together in it, and everyone will take their rights," he said.
The Kurdish administration has said it seeks dialogue to "unify views" in Syria.
"We believe that cooperation between the Democratic Autonomous Administration and the political administration in Damascus will be in the favor of all Syrians and will contribute to facilitating a successful end to this difficult phase," it said in a statement last week.
[Rudaw] Syria’s transitional government on Saturday named Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani as its new foreign minister, less than two weeks after toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Shaibani, 37, was born in Hasaka and lived most of his life in Damascus. He has a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Damascus University and a Master’s degree in political science and international relations from Sabahattin Zaim University, a private institution in Istanbul, Turkey.
He was one of the founding members of the Idlib-based Syrian salvation government in 2017 and established and led its department of political affairs. He was also a member of the Islamic advisory council known as Shura for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
HTS spearheaded the rebel offensive launched late last month that toppled Assad and ended over five decades of Baathist rule. They formed the transitional government in Damascus, with Mohammed al-Bashir as its prime minister.
The transitional government will remain in power until March 1 next year.
[IsraelTimes] A Palestinian Authorities officer was killed during clashes with terrorists in the West Bank, the PA security forces announce, marking the second such death in as many days amid ongoing fighting in the Jenin area.
“The officer was killed after he was targeted by treacherous and cowardly gunfire from outlaws in the Jenin camp,” Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the PA’s security force says in a statement.
The incident comes amid a PA crackdown against terror groups in Jenin, which the PA says is to restore security and stability to the area and comes as Ramallah appears to be trying to signal that it could play a significant role in managing a postwar Gaza Strip.
Palestinian rivals of the Fatah party, which dominates the PA, have condemned the arrests and accused the security forces of aiding Israel.
In addition to the two security personnel, three people have been killed since the clashes began on December 5 — two civilians and a field commander of the Jenin armed battalion.
[IsraelTimes] Senior American officials have urged their Israeli counterparts to nurture ties with Syria’s new leader, Channel 12 reports.
Oy.
“Cooperation and communication channels of yours with al-Julani will bolster Israel’s influence in the entire area,” the report quotes US officials saying. “We are talking about a pragmatic leader who wants to develop strategic relations with the nations of the region.”
Israel is listening to what the Americans are saying, but also suspects that al-Julani is playing the US and international community, and trying to stabilize his control, but has not truly changed his spots.
The US, nonetheless, believes cooperation could help ensure that Iran does not return to Syria, the report says.
[IsraelTimes] Defense Minister Israel Katz confirms for the first time that Israel was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran over the summer.
Also at a commemoration event for local security officers, Katz threatens the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-backed terror group continues to carry out attacks on Israel.
“In these days, when the Houthi terror organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded the defense systems in Iran, and damaged the [missile] production systems. We have overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt heavy blows to the ‘axis of evil,’ and we will also severely strike the Houthi terror organization in Yemen, which remains the last one standing,” he says.
(Israel was not directly involved in overthrowing the Assad regime in Syria, but assesses that its strikes on Iran’s proxies in the region contributed to the fall of the regime).
“We will strike [the Houthis’] strategic infrastructure and decapitate its leaders. Just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah, in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon — we will do in Hodeidah and Sanaa,” Katz says, referring to the slain leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Whoever raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off, and the long arm of the IDF will strike them and settle the score,” he adds.
[IsraelTimes] Two suspects were arrested in November on suspicion of smuggling weapons across the border from Egypt via the Sinai Desert, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency announce in a statement.
The security forces name the suspects as Zaher Abu Rakeik, from the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj in the Negev, and Imad Huashla, from nearby Qasr a-Sir, outside Dimona.
A joint Israel Police-Shin Bet operation found that Zaher and Emad were involved in smuggling eight pistols and cartridges across the border from Sinai on October 19 using a drone, according to the statement, among other incidents.
The two suspects were charged today, the statement adds.
[IsraelTimes] A powerful blast that ripped through an explosives plant in northwest Turkey has killed 12 people and injured four others, officials say.
Footage shows shards of glass and metal scattered outside the plant as ambulances stand by.
“According to initial reports, 12 employees died and four were taken to hospital with injuries as a result of the explosion,” local governor Ismail Ustaoglu says.
The plant, located in the north of Balikesir, makes munitions and explosives and flares for domestic and international markets. Part of the plant collapsed due to the explosion, officials say.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya says the cause is not immediately known but authorities have ruled out sabotage.
Acıya uyandık yine… Balıkesir’de patlayıcı üretilen fabrikada meydana gelen patlamada 12 canımızı kaybettik… Dualarımız bugün Balıkesir’de yitirdiğimiz o güzel insanlar için. Ruhları şad, mekânları cennet olsun. Yaralı kardeşlerime acil şifalar, ailelerine de sabır diliyorum.… pic.twitter.com/yBzsVgxsFw
[IsraelTimes] The US military says it conducted an airstrike in Syria that killed two Islamic State operatives and wounded one.
The Islamic State operatives were moving a truckload of weapons in Dayr az Zawr Province, an area formerly controlled by the Syrian government and Russians, when they were targeted with the airstrike, US Central Command says in a statement on social media platform X.
[IsraelTimes] US retail giant Walmart appears to have removed two shirts it offered for sale online that featured pictures of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The shirts were flagged by US-based watchdog Antisemitism.org, which calls the fashion choice “outrageous.”
One shirt shows Sinwar’s face and his name broken into “Sin” and “war,” while a second one features a doctored caricature of the terror mastermind firing a weapon while in combat gear.
Another shirt featuring a low-resolution picture of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah remains for sale on the Walmart website, though it won’t come in time for Christmas and is only available in XXL, for your bigger terror supporters. The shirt, sold by a Texas-based third-party vendor, is titled “Nasrallah Safe Following Israeli Airstrikes,” a decidedly false claim about the Iran-backed terror chief, who is quite dead following an October 27 airstrike.
There is no immediate comment from Walmart.
Large retail platforms like Amazon and Ebay have also run into trouble over the years due to questionable offerings from third-party sellers, including items that appear to be created by scraping random images from the internet.
[IsraelTimes] Official Palestinian news outlet Wafa reports that a man has been killed amid clashes with Israeli troops during a raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The man is named as Fathi Saeed Awda Salem. The report does not say if he was involved in fighting with troops.
There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
According to Wafa, heavy fighting broke out as Israeli troops entered the al-Hadaida neighborhood of Tulkarem overnight, using bulldozers to destroy roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
[IsraelTimes] Iran is considering establishing an air corridor to Lebanon by which to resupply the Hezbollah terror group, after losing its land route through Syria with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, The Times reports.
The paper notes that this would be in breach of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
An unidentified regional source tells the paper that discussions on the matter are taking place in Tehran. The source says Western nations are “concerned that Iran has lost [Damascus as] its go-to airport in the region for smuggling weapons and is now trying to turn Beirut airport into its new logistics hub, just as they did in Syria.”
They add that such action “could lead to the next escalation.”
Israel has said it will enforce the terms of the ceasefire in Lebanon by force where necessary. It has intercepted cargo flights from Iran to Lebanon that it believed were carrying arms for Hezbollah, forcing them to turn around.
[IsraelTimes] Kfir Brigade’s Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, killed by explosion during operation in Beit Hanoun area
Three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip on Monday, the military announced, as operations to combat the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group’s regrouping efforts in the area continued.
The slain troops were named as: Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon.
They all served in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion.
According to an initial Israel Defense Forces probe, the soldiers were killed by an bomb in the Beit Hanoun area.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 391. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
The Kfir Brigade had just wrapped up an operation against Hamas in nearby Beit Lahiya earlier this week.
Troops advanced to the Beit Hanoun area "following intelligence information about the presence of bully boyz and terror infrastructure in the area," the IDF said on Sunday.
The military and Shin Bet also announced Monday that a senior member of Hamas’s general security forces had been killed in a Sunday Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Gaza City.
According to the military, the target of the strike, Tharwat Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, served as the head of the security directorate in Hamas’s General Security Service.
Al-Bayk was targeted while at a Hamas command center embedded within the Musa Ibn Nusayr school, in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood, the IDF said.
The school was serving as a shelter for displaced Gazooks, and Paleostinian media reported at least eight dead in the strike.
The IDF and Shin Bet said that the security directorate in the General Security Service is a Hamas body that is tasked with building an intelligence picture to help the terror group make decisions.
The unit is also responsible for the protection of Hamas’s brass hats, and has the job of providing shelters for the senior commanders and leaders to enable them to continue their military activity, the joint statement said.
"Al-Bayk was considered one of the main links in the mechanism, and a significant factor in [Hamas’s] decision-making," the statement continued.
The IDF said it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... organized looting is increasingly threatening aid delivery in war-torn Gaza, with gangs taking advantage of the chaos and lack of governance to steal basic items, The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Monday.
The paper said the phenomenon, which was once limited to desperate individuals, has now blossomed into systematic practices by gangs in the enclave.
The growing threat has led the UN and other aid groups to halt operations, contributing to rising hunger and leaving tens of thousands of people without critical supplies, the report said.
The report said the Israeli military has tried to find alternate routes for aid that will bypass looters, but success has been only partial.
It added that the IDF appears to increasingly be targeting armed looters with airstrikes to deter the practice.
Also on Monday, Channel 12 aired satellite footage from Hebrew University GIS specialist Adi Ben Nun that it said showed 100 percent of the 19,000 buildings in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia had been destroyed.
Similar footage from July — before the IDF launched its third counter-terrorism operation in the city since the start of the war — showed 54% of Jabalia’s buildings destroyed, the network said.
Israel says much of the destruction in Gaza is a result of Hamas using the Strip’s infrastructure for terror purposes, but the widespread destruction has fueled accusations of excessive force and collective punishment.
The satellite footage also indicated that the IDF has completed demolishing all 4,000 buildings in Gaza that were within one kilometer of the border with Israel. Channel 12 said the military believes it has completed its goal of creating a buffer zone in that border area.
The Netzarim Corridor bisecting northern and southern Gaza has also been flattened of almost every building that once existed there and has been expanded to nearly 32 square kilometers as the IDF has reportedly built dozens of military complexes there. There have been mounting reports that the IDF has turned the corridor into a de facto kill zone, shooting anyone who approaches it.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli official tells ToI gaps are narrowing in talks with terror group, but crucial issues — including length of ceasefire, Palestinian prisoners to be freed — still unresolved
Gaps between Israel and the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group over a possible 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... hostage release and ceasefire deal have narrowed, according to Israeli and Paleostinian officials’ remarks on Monday, though crucial differences have yet to be resolved, as fighting continues in the war-torn enclave.
Israel still has not received a list of living hostages from Hamas, an Israeli official with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations told The Times of Israel on Monday, saying, "We are waiting."
"It’s slow progress," the official said. "We would want to see it move quicker, the entire process, but there is absolutely progress."
The official pointed to divisions within Hamas.
"We understand that [Gaza-based bigwig] Mohammed Sinwar is no less of an murderous Moslem and zealot than [his brother, slain Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar," the official continued, "and this is definitely causing delays."
Another factor slowing down talks is the time it takes for Hamas officials in Doha to communicate with those in Gaza, said the official.
The official also alleged that 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... , despite returning to its mediating role, was also getting in the way.
"Qatar doesn’t stop playing games and trying to carry out psychological warfare on Israeli society with all kinds of reports, half-truths, all kinds of things that they try to launch, experimental balloons, all kinds of things that don’t contribute to the negotiations," he said.
Which explains all the contradictory reports of the status of negotiations, I suppose.
The official explained that Israel is nevertheless willing to use Qatar as a mediator because it has excellent access to Hamas leaders.
CEASEFIRE TERMS UNRESOLVED
The official also insisted that Israel will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor as part of any partial deal or in a first phase of a deal.
"If we reach an end to the war, then maybe it will be possible," said the official. "We’ll see what arrangements we reach, but I also find it hard to believe that we will withdraw."
"We are ready to thin out our forces and redeploy our forces on the ground," the official conceded.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella grabbed the cocoanut cream... a Paleostinian official familiar with the talks said that while some sticking points had been resolved, the identity of some of the Paleostinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed on, along with the precise deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza.
The remarks corresponded with comments by Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, who said both issues were still being negotiated. Nonetheless, he said, the sides were far closer to reaching agreement than they have been for months.
"This ceasefire can last six months or it can last 10 years, it depends on the dynamics that will form on the ground," Chikli told Israel’s Kan radio. Much hinged on what powers would be running and rehabilitating Gaza once fighting stopped, he said.
The duration of the ceasefire has been a fundamental sticking point throughout several rounds of failed negotiations. Hamas wants an end to the war, while Israel wants an end to Hamas’s rule of Gaza first.
"The issue of ending the war completely hasn’t yet been resolved," said the Paleostinian official.
Minister Ze’ev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Israel’s Army Radio that the aim was to find an agreed-upon framework that would resolve that difference during a second stage of the ceasefire deal.
Chikli said the first stage would be a humanitarian phase that would last 42 days and include a hostage release.
It is believed that 96 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 38 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
The war started with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which Death Eaters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people to Gaza as hostages.
OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN GAZA
Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on the Gaza Strip overnight and during the day on Monday killed at least 20 people, Hamas-controlled Paleostinian medics said.
One of the strikes hit a tent camp in the al-Mawasi area, an Israel-declared humanitarian zone, killing eight people, including two children, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, which received the bodies.
The Israeli military says it only strikes terror operatives, accusing them of hiding among civilians. It said late Sunday that it had targeted a Hamas operative in the humanitarian zone.
The strike was carried out in the Khan Younis area and the IDF said it took numerous steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike.
One of Gaza’s few still partially functioning hospitals, on the Strip’s northern edge, an area under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months, sought urgent help on Monday after claiming to be hit by Israeli fire.
"We are facing a continuous daily threat," said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital. "The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, the departments, and the staff."
An Israeli military front man denied that the hospital was being targeted. "I am unaware of any strikes on Kamal Adwan Hospital," he told AFP.
Safiyeh reported that the hospital, which is currently treating 91 patients, had been targeted on Monday by Israeli drones.
"This morning, drones dropped bombs in the hospital’s courtyards and on its roof," said Safiyeh in a statement. "The shelling, which also destroyed nearby houses and buildings, did not stop throughout the night."
The shelling and bombardment have caused extensive damage to the hospital, Safiyeh added.
"Bullets hit the intensive care unit, the maternity ward, and the specialized surgery department causing fear among patients," he said, adding that a generator was also targeted.
Paleostinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.
The area has been the focus of an intense air and ground campaign by Israeli forces since October 6, aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping.
Israel says its operation around the three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip — Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia — is targeting Hamas terror operatives and is aimed at preventing them from regrouping.
There are two functioning medical centers in the area, the Kamal Adwan and al-Awda hospitals.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas operatives of using the hospitals as command and control centers to plan attacks against the military.
On Monday, the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... aid chief, Tom Fletcher, said Israeli forces had hampered efforts to deliver much-needed aid in northern Gaza.
"North Gaza has been under a near-total siege for more than two months, raising the specter of famine," he said. "South Gaza is extremely overcrowded, creating horrific living conditions and even greater humanitarian needs as winter sets in."
PRE-CHRISTMAS MASS
Also Sunday, Latin Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa led a pre-Christmas Mass during a rare visit to Gaza that was coordinated with Israeli authorities.
Footage shared on social media showed the event.
His visit to Holy Family in Gaza City, the Paleostinian enclave’s only Catholic church, came a day after Pope Francis
...Argentine liberation theologist, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was elected pope in 2013. Rather than setting up shop in Avignon, where he belongs, the first Jesuit Pope chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse instead of the papal apartments. That was to show how humble he is. He is big on climate change, against consumerism, and in favor of throwing a blanket over homosexual activity within the clergy. He's not real sure about the Resurrection, about Christ's divinity, and a few other things that would have gotten him burned at the stake a few hundred years ago, but he's hot for a certain South American Earth Mother Goddess... issued a series of condemnations of Israeli strikes during the ongoing war against Hamas, and said the attacks had prevented Pizzaballa from entering the Strip the day before.
The pope’s comments prompted a sharp response from the Foreign Ministry, which said his comments were "particularly disappointing, as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism — a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7."
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 45,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 Death Eaters inside Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 388. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
One of the ships involved in Russia’s evacuation from Syria, the cargo vessel Ursa Major, reportedly suffered a major engine room explosion in the Mediterranean and sank earlier today.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
2024-12-24 01:04 ||
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[11156 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
The ship is not very old. If it was an engine room issue, usually that would just leave them DIW. The list indicates that either a sea suction was ruptured or the hull was breached under the waterline. If it burst a pipe, closing a valve would have normally have stopped the flooding. Could have been a cargo explosion, but two dead is what I would expect to lose as an engine room watch team on a cargo ship. It’s possible that the damage could not be isolated. Its possible that scuttling the ship was an expeditious solution to inconvenient cargo.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:38
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[IsraelTimes] No reports of injuries due to falling fragments, though woman in serious condition after tripping while running to shelter; Houthi official says attacks to continue until Gaza war ends
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-backed 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 fired another ballistic missile at Israel early Tuesday morning, triggering sirens across the center of the country, as well as in southern Israel, for the third time in less than a week.
The Israel Defense Forces said it managed to intercept the missile before it entered Israeli airspace.
According to a military source, the projectile was shot down using the long-range Arrow air defense system, which is designed to take out ballistic missiles outside of the atmosphere.
Sirens were triggered across central Israel — between Herzliya and Ashdod — as well as in several towns east of Beersheba, as a precaution due to the potential for fragments following the interception to land inside Israeli territory, the military said.
The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said it did not receive any reports of injuries due to fallen missile or interceptor fragments.
However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... a 60-year-old woman fell while running to a shelter in Tel Aviv and was transferred to the city’s Ichilov Hospital at death's door, MDA said.
At least 25 people were treated for minor injuries after falling while running to the shelter or due to anxiety attacks caused by the missile sirens, MDA added.
Shortly after the launch, senior Houthi official Hezam al-Asad tweeted that such attacks would continue "until the aggression against our people 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... stops."
Hezbollah made similar pledges to continue its cross-border attacks against Israel until a ceasefire was reached in Gaza but caved last month after two months during which Israel significantly intensified its counter-attacks against the Lebanese terror group.
Hours earlier, the Houthis grabbed credit for launching drones at Israel on Monday afternoon.
The IDF said that the Air Force shot down one drone outside of Israeli airspace. The Houthis claimed to have launched two drones, at targets in Ashkelon and the Tel Aviv area. There were no reports of impacts in either city on Monday.
[IsraelTimes] Lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court claims Reps. Thompson and Huffman’s support for legislation led to ‘uncontrollable weeping, inability to sleep and distractions from work’
A group of Northern Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, residents has filed a class-action lawsuit against their congressional representatives, 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... Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, accusing them of causing harm to local communities and to Paleostinians 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... by voting to send billions in US military aid to Israel.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Socialist paradise of San Francisco ...where God struck dead Anton LaVey, home of the Sydney Ducks, ruled by Vigilance Committee from 1859 through 1867, reliably and volubly Democrat since 1964... federal court, claims the politicians caused "moral and emotional/psychic injury" to taxpayers by voting for aid that, the plaintiffs allege, contributes to genocide in Gaza. Both Israel and the Biden administration reject that Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... in Gaza.
The lawsuit is the latest example of how debates over Israel and Gaza have moved to the courts since the outbreak of the war following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. Several months ago, federal courts dismissed a lawsuit by pro-Paleostinian groups, also filed in the Bay Area, accusing the Biden administration of complicity in a genocide. A federal appeals court panel confirmed a ruling by a lower court that the judiciary cannot intervene to change the government’s foreign policy.
Survivors of the Oct. 7 attack and Jewish groups have filed a series of suits over the attack against pro-Paleostinian nonprofits, the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... ’ Paleostinian aid agency UNRWA and foreign governments allied with Hamas. In addition, Jewish students have filed suit against multiple universities accusing them of not taking sufficient measures against antisemitism on campus.
The Bay Area case seeks to bar Thompson and Huffman from approving future military aid to Israel and demands damages for the emotional distress caused by war, including "uncontrollable weeping, inability to sleep, distractions from work, despair for the future of their children and humanity."
Oh no! Anyway…
At a presser outside the courthouse where the lawsuit was filed, Linda Helland, a Mendocino County resident and plaintiff, said the representatives’ votes make her and other constituents "complicit" in the violence. Another plaintiff, Paleostinian American Tarik Kanaana of Sonoma County, said Thompson’s actions amounted to aiding in "the killing of my own people."
Twenty one plaintiffs are named in the lawsuit but organizers are aiming to add as many as 1,000 participants if the court allows the lawsuit to proceed. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said the lawsuit, with its focus on the rights of taxpayers, was designed differently than the one that was tossed out.
"We’re not asking the court to tell Congress to make policy," attorney Dean Royer told the Chronicle. "We’re asking the court to say taxpayer dollars cannot be used to fund genocide."
The positions of Thompson and Huffman reflect those of many Democratic politicians who back Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas, but have called for minimizing civilian casualties. In April, they voted in favor of a $26.4 billion military aid package for Israel. Thompson and Huffman have also expressed support for a ceasefire and long-term solutions, including a two-state framework that would see a Paleostinian state established alongside Israel.
"Congressman Thompson understands that it has been the civilian population that has paid the cost of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and he remains gravely concerned about the scale of civilian loss in this war," read a statement from the congressman’s office to local media. "That’s why he has advocated and continues to advocate for the Biden Administration to work with the State Department and our allies to help secure a negotiated bilateral ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the establishment of a two-state solution to ensure peace and self-determination for the Paleostinian and Israeli people."
#1
Israel's existence causes quite a lot of emotional distress to a lot of people. Given the kind of people it causes emotional distress to, this (IMO) should come under "What did the Jews did for us?".
[IsraelTimes] Prime Minister Mikati urges US, France to push for accelerated IDF pull-out from southern Lebanon, even as Israel continues to find Hezbollah weapons in border area
United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... peacekeepers and Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... ’s prime minister called on Monday for the Israel Defense Forces to speed up its withdrawal from the country, nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.
"UNIFIL strongly urges accelerated progress in the IDF’s withdrawal from and the LAF’s (Lebanese army) deployment in south Lebanon," the force said in a statement.
Why? What are you hiding? What are you protecting?
It called on "all actors to cease and refrain from violations of (Security Council) Resolution 1701 and any actions that could jeopardize the fragile stability that currently prevails," referring to the 2006 agreement that ended the Second Lebanon War and served as a basis for the more recent ceasefire deal in November.
The UNIFIL statement came after Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the United States and La Belle France should put pressure on Israel to complete its withdrawal faster.
The United States and La Belle France, along with Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL, make up the committee tasked with maintaining communication between the parties to the ceasefire and ensuring any violations are identified and dealt with.
As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon, as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.
The IDF under the ceasefire agreement has until late January to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and, in the meantime, it continues to operate against and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure.
"In order for the army to be able to fully accomplish its missions, the committee must... put pressure on the Israeli enemy to bring an end to all the violations" of the ceasefire, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in the town of Khiam during a tour of the south.
"It is necessary to put pressure on the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to accelerate the process before the expiration of the 60-day period," he added, going on to accuse Israel of "dragging its feet."
On December 11, the Lebanese army reported that it had deployed around Khiam, five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the border, in coordination with UNIFIL, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.
ACCUSATIONS OF VIOLATIONS
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday that "the Israeli enemy continues its invasion and attacks on southern Lebanese territories," where it has "raised the Israeli flag" on a hill between the towns of Bayada and Naqura.
The NNA frequently reports instances of Israel dynamiting homes in border villages.
For its part, the Israeli army stated on Monday that it was continuing its defensive activities in the south "in accordance with the agreement," adding that it had "seized and dismantled various weapons and military equipment from a warehouse."
The truce in southern Lebanon went into force on November 27, after more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that began when the Iranian-backed terror group started attacking Israel with rockets and drones on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... bandidosturbans invaded Israel from Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , starting the ongoing multi-front war.
Fearing a similar Hezbollah onslaught, Israel evacuated residents of border towns. Hezbollah’s persistent rocket fire prevented some 60,000 displaced northerners from returning home. In a bid to stop the rocket fire, Israel stepped up operations against Hezbollah in late September, all but decimating the terror group’s leadership.
Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas all seek to destroy Israel.
Mikati said that he wanted to resolve any questions over the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel — "so there will be no justification for any Israeli occupation of our land."
He also said he was working with "the World Bank, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , Arab countries, and our international partners to create a trust fund" for reconstruction efforts.
The World Bank estimated in October that the fighting had caused physical damage amounting to "at least $3.4 billion" in Lebanon.
[Progressives.gov] Their statement is below:
"This is a historic day in America. We thank President Biden for this extraordinary act to spare the 37 individuals facing the death penalty, a discriminatory and fundamentally inhumane punishment. This is a powerful use of executive action to save lives and deliver justice.
"This moment would not be possible without the tireless organizing and activism of progressives in Congress and on the ground, who have been leading the fight for years to abolish the death penalty and institute a more just legal system. But our work is not done
We thank the President for this significant step and urge him to use his last few days in office to commute the sentences of the thousands of Americans impacted by the War on Drugs and decades of harmful, disparate convictions and sentencing."
------------------------- The Progressive Caucus has over 90 members in the House of Representatives (over 40% of all Democrats in the House). They previously praised the pardons of the 1500+ in early December.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/24/2024
09:52 ||
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#1
They have no problem killing the unborn who have done nothing wrong, so what is the surprise.
[JustTheNews] The attorney general requested that the court grant a permanent injunction that bans the NCAA from allowing biological males to compete in women’s sporting events in Texas, or involving Texas teams.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the National Collegiate Athletics Association for alleged false advertisement, arguing the NCAA bill its women sports events as competition among females when it in fact a "mixed sex event," because transgender athletes are also allowed to compete.
He argues the misrepresentation is in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and that the NCAA, which oversees more than 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide, has violated the act by not disclosing which team members are transgender.
The Republican attorney general requested that the court grant a permanent injunction that bans the NCAA from allowing biological males to compete in women’s sporting events in Texas, or involving Texas teams.
Paxton said he would also accept a ruling that forces the NCAA to stop its marketing of "co-ed competitions" as women's events.
“The NCAA is intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of women by deceptively changing women’s competitions into co-ed competitions,” Paxton said in a statement. “When people watch a women’s volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women – not biological males pretending to be something they are not. Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.”
The lawsuit is also requesting the NCAA pays a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for all DTPA violations, and any other "relief to which the State may be entitled."
[JustTheNews] Senator Rand Paul's 41-page report this year concludes the Biden administration spent $1 trillion on such events as drag shows and projects like the construction of pickle ball complexes.
But P.Trump is still on the books.
[JustTheNews] Alec Baldwin was accused of firing a gun on the set of the Western film "Rust" in 2021, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and wounded the film's director. The case was dismissed in July..
New Mexico prosecutors on Monday ended their court effort to get involuntary manslaughter and other charges reinstated against actor Alec Baldwin in connection with a 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the film "Rust," signaling a definite end to the years-long court battle.
Baldwin was charged with of firing the gun on the set of the Western film that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded the film's director. Baldwin has denied ever pulling the trigger, and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case in July, ruling that prosecutors withheld critical evidence.
Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey said she withdrew the appeal Monday because the state “did not intend to exhaustively pursue the appeal on behalf of the prosecution," according to the Associated Press. However, the Santa Fe district attorney's office said the New Mexico attorney general would have moved forward with this appeal.
#3
Baldwin has the mark of Cane on his forehead. He will complain about his situation for the rest of his life. It is a life sentence because it is internal. Maybe his one brother can get to him so it doesn’t end up being an eternal sentence.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 10:49
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#4
My money is on the DA intentionally messed it up as the DA had to be dragged into actually doing something. Note that the armorer tried to get her conviction over turned for the same reason the judge dismissed the Baldwin prosecution only to have her petition denied. Two tiers of justice.
In an event that has shaken the core beliefs of many Americans, the country woke up to the shocking news that the latest mass shooter wasn’t the desired demographic: a straight white male. Instead, the perpetrator turned out to be someone who doesn’t fit the typical profile used by media outlets, activists, and social commentators when discussing gun violence in America.
The news caused widespread disbelief, with headlines screaming “Mass Shooter Breaks Stereotype!” and “Gun Violence Narrative Upended!” Across the nation, people were seen dropping their coffee mugs, spilling their morning cereal, and staring blankly at their screens. The shooter, identified as someone from an entirely different group, has caused a scramble among pundits to recalibrate their talking points.
News channels, caught off guard, had to hastily edit their pre-prepared segments. One anchor was heard muttering off-air, “How do we spin this? We’ve got three hours of content on white supremacy ready to go!” Meanwhile, social media erupted with hashtags like #NotWhatWeExpected and #NarrativeFail, as people debated whether this meant they could now discuss mental health or video game violence without being accused of deflecting from “the real issue.”
Politicians on both sides of the aisle were seen in a state of confusion. Democrats, who had been ready to launch into speeches about white male toxicity and gun control, were left fumbling for new scripts. Republicans, who were preparing defenses about Second Amendment rights, suddenly found themselves nodding in agreement at the idea of looking into broader societal issues.
Gun control activists, who had their signs and chants all lined up, were seen in emergency meetings, trying to decide if they could still use their “White Men With Guns” slogans. “It’s not that we want to limit our focus to one group,” one activist explained, “but our entire strategy was based on this demographic. Now what?”
Montgomery attorney Melissa Issak won a "not guilty" jury verdict for her client, who she referred to as "Matthew," on the Class A misdemeanor charge of "knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority." He had been charged in the January 6, 2021 "Stop the Steal" protest in Washington, D.C., in which thousands of citizens protested against the questionable procedures of the 2020 presidential election.
Here is Issak's explanation of what happened:
This is Matthew. Matthew attended the ‘Stop the Steal Rally’ in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.
Matthew’s case was assigned to Judge Royce Lamberth. There have been several articles referencing Lambreth’s statements. We filed for a recusal largely based upon his statements, but it was denied.
Long story short, in June of this year we went in front of a DC jury. It was clear during selection that their politics did not match ours. But after the trial, the jury found him innocent of the “1752” charges (felony). This charge is knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct. He was there. He didn’t harm anyone. He didn’t destroy anything, he didn’t even yell at anyone. But the jury did find him guilty of class B misdemeanors. Jail time is largely unheard of for class B misdemeanors.
When the jury returned the verdict, the judge did not look happy. In fact, we can’t find where a defendant was ever acquitted of that charge, ever, in his courtroom. It appears we were (and are) the only ones to ever get a not guilty on this charge.
Ironically, I didn’t practice criminal law. I wasn’t a J6 lawyer, but when the need arose, I became one and am in the ranks of J6 lawyers who have gotten acquittals. And it’s only a few.
At sentencing, Matthew was given jail time. Far less than his contemporaries, but unfair nonetheless. How Hunter Biden gets a 10-year pardon and the J6ers, most who have never been in trouble and were “just there” face jail time is unconscionable.
#1
Class envyis a feeling of resentment towards people of a higher social class. It can be described as the feeling that it's unfair that some people earn more than others.
* Also often described as Trump Derangement Syndrone.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] President Clinton famously used to say, 'I feel your pain.' With Biden, it's the other way around. He is going to make America feel his pain.
He is having the mother of all temper tantrums, and it seems not even the Lord Almighty himself — you know, Barack Obama — can do anything about it.
Biden is literally selling off parts of Trump's border wall at fire-sale prices —auctioning fence building materials rather than retaining them for Trump's administration — doubtless because Americans ousted the Dems over the migrant crisis.
This isn't just petty. It's an attempt to thwart the will of the people. Make no mistake: Joe Biden is giving America the ultimate F-you.
#2
As long as they are in a no parole situation, having them die in prison anonymously is OK by me. For some of the narcissists it seems like the drama of the death sentence is pleasing to them. I am not convinced that the death of the killer brings closer to the victims and families. I am not anti-death penalty. Executed MS-13 folks that continue to run their criminal activities from Pelican Bay makes a lot of sense to me.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 10:45
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#3
Off Death Row? Into Gen Pop for you! A life sentence may be shorter than you thought, assholes
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/24/2024 11:14
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#4
While I think capital punishment is a just and legal punishment , in the US it costs a lot more to execute someone than for a life sentence. This is because of all the extra due-process (lawyer and court costs) that are automatic with a death sentence. The amount can be millions. Perhaps it would be better to stick them in a hole and forget about them and spend the money on preventing future crimes.
#5
^ don't forget the unlimited appeal process that drags out the entire effort. In Constitution V.2, I would like every citizen have the right to vendetta if the 'state' refuses to carry out its responsibilities. Vendetta used to be common, but over literally hundreds of years to end that, the 'state' said it would provide 'justice' in order to act as a neutral third party in order to establish order and stop the endless violence. The 'state' no longer wants to do the bloody work. Let it revert back to the people. If you haven't been paying attention, that is exactly what is going down in the major cities in certain communities.
#6
The DNC will be forever remembered by voters by their last 3 presidents actions and the parties absolute refusal to do the right thing for America.
I dunno. Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton taught me all I need to know about Democrats but it seems a lot of people don't remember. New generations come along. Church attendance is in decline and schools no longer teach the evils of socialism. MSM sure as hell won't tell them. So people have to learn it all over again the hard way.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/24/2024 13:13
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re:^
heartily agree. Cater especially taught me not to believe with his Zero based budgeting which I liked when I read about it........stupid me thinking they'd actually do it.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The prime minister of Greenland said simply that 'we are not for sale' after Donald Trump again suggested he wanted the United States to take control of the island.
Trump, 78, made the stark declaration Sunday night as he announced his pick for ambassador to Denmark, PayPal co-founder Ken Howery, who also served as the US ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021.
'For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,' he wrote on Truth Social.
The island's Prime Minister Mute Egede quickly sought to quash any chance of a deal.
'Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,' he said in a statement.
The world's largest island, Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory with its own parliament, about 55,000 inhabitants, and a small pro-independence movement.
It relies on Denmark to fund more than half of its public budget.
#4
I don’t think Trump is trying to buy Greenland. During the 4 years, we will likely see some type of agreement that opens Greenland up for commercial development. The end result will be financial benefit for the people of Greenland and Europe in general. It would make Russian natural resources less valuable. Natural Gas export from the US to Europe is not actually a very good idea.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:14
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[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Former President Bill Clinton, 78, was hospitalized Monday and is undergoing testing after developing a fever.
Angel Urena, Clinton's former deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that the former president was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., but is doing 'fine.'
'He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving.'
Urena added that the former president hopes to be home and out of the hospital in time for Christmas.
He said that Clinton was receiving care as a precaution after developing a fever.
It is 'not an emergency situation,' according to reports.
Clinton's health has been in the spotlight in recent years as the once-vibrant Democrat has noticeably aged.
In 2021, he was also hospitalized after a urological infection spread to his bloodstream.
He also underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004 and had a procedure to open an artery six years later.
He's been in the spotlight in recent months as he promotes his new memoir 'Citizen' and hit the campaign trail for Kamala Harris.
[IsraelTimes] Source tells Hezbollah-aligned al-Akhbar outlet that agreement was made with Baghdad government to end assaults due to volatile situation in region, uncertainty over Trump policies
Shiite militia groups in Iraq have decided to stop attacking Israel, a Lebanese report claimed Monday, in what would mark the latest retreat by a regional Iranian proxy that had attempted to pile pressure on Jerusalem.
Iraq-based militias have launched dozens of attack drones at Israel since war broke out 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... following Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s October 7, 2023, assault, alongside other members of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance®, including Hezbollah in Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... , the 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... s in 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... , and pro-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... groups in Syria.
While most of the attacks from Iraq have been largely ineffective, in October, two soldiers were killed and 24 others maimed when an Iraqi drone hit their Golan Heights base.
According to Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, seen as linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, the militia groups operating under the Popular Mobilization Forces agreed to stop the attacks at the urging of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-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... i.
The report cited an unnamed leader of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iraqi militia loyal to Iran, which wields wide influence over Shiite groups in the country.
He said the factions were waiting for US President-elect Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... to take office next month to see how he approaches the region and particularly Iran.
An official from the allied Kata’ib Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... al-Shuhada group told al-Akbar that the Iraqi faction had ended its attacks in coordination with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which agreed late last month to halt its rocket and drone launches after months of punishing counterattacks from Israel.
The official also noted that the militia had "partners in Iraq who have an opinion and reservations about those operations, and they must be listened to."
What matters, the official said, is that "there is communication between the parties of the Axis of Resistance® for the purpose of coordinating positions and coming up with a unified vision."
According to the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba leader, the groups also agreed to avoid getting involved in Syria, where Salafist tough guys earlier this month ousted the regime of Iran-backed dictator Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... . He cited concerns that Iraq could experience worse instability than Syria, leading to a resurgence of terrorism.
Tehran, he said, had given the factions freedom of choice on how to act regarding Syria.
The source described reported pressure on the Iraqi government to shut down the PMF and other factions and confiscate their arms as a US-Israeli plot to bring about "the surrender of the Axis of Resistance®."
According to al-Akhbar, Sudani recently denied that there was any such plan.
There was no outside confirmation of the report.
On October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed Paleostinian terror group Hamas led a devastating attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and opened the still-ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
The following day, Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah began firing across the border at northern Israel, causing the evacuation of 60,000 residents from the area. The fighting spiraled into open war in September that ended last month with a fragile ceasefire after Israel decimated the Hezbollah leadership and its weapons stockpiles.
Days later, Syrian rebels swept across the country, taking the capital Damascus while Assad fled.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also been firing rockets and drones at Israel from Yemen, including several attacks last week, one of which saw 16 people injured when a missile hit Tel Aviv Saturday.
Israel has bombed Houthi sites in Yemen three times over the past year, but the group has vowed to continue its attacks.
North Korea is reportedly preparing to deploy additional troops to Russia and supply kamikaze UAVs, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing intelligence.
North Korea demonstrated UAVs resembling Russian Lancet and Israeli Harop in recent footage. pic.twitter.com/sibNWZhStF
[GEO.TV] Indian police said on Monday they had killed three Sikh separatists fighting for a separate homeland known as "Khalistan", the struggle for which sparked deadly violence in the 1980s and 1990s.
The campaign for Khalistan was at the heart of a diplomatic firestorm last year after Indian intelligence operatives were linked to the killing of a vocal Sikh leader in Canada and an attempted liquidation in the United States — claims New Delhi rejected.
In the latest incident, the Khalistani rebels were killed after a shootout in Pilibhit district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The men were wanted for their alleged involvement in a grenade attack on a police outpost in Punjab ...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
.... state this month.
Pilibhit police superintendent Avinash Pandey said officers had surrounded the men after a tip-off, with the suspects launching "heavy fire".
"In the retaliatory action, all three were critically injured and later died in hospital," he said. Police recovered two assault rifles, two pistols and a large cache of ammunition.
The three men belonged to Khalistan Zindabad Force, a separatist group, Punjab police chief Gaurav Yadav said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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🚨Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas: "We certainly have received reports of children being trafficked, even those as to whom we know where they are. That is outside the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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#1
Soooo...what exactly is the point of "Homeland Security". What rock did this guy crawl out from under! Someone should find it and step on it real hard!
Posted by: Oregon Dave ||
12/24/2024 1:06
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#2
"...even those as to whom we know where they are..."
When I hear and read such comments, I have to wonder who in the DC Swamp is being protected?
Does this Idiot In Charge, (until Jan 20th) share the info with the FBI, or other LEO agencies?
NEW: ICE Boston says a Salvadoran illegal alien charged with sexually assaulting a child in MA was released from local custody with their detainer request ignored by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, which previously kicked ICE out of its jails. ICE tracked him down &… pic.twitter.com/l7oghFpSJv
[FoxWeather] People all across the southeastern U.S. and in the Midwest reported seeing fireballs streaking across the sky on Saturday night.
While the Ursid meteor shower did reach its peak on Saturday night during the winter solstice, the answer is most likely chalked up to space debris that was breaking up within Earth's atmosphere.
The American Meteor Society received 120 reports of the fireball across Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and as far north as Missouri.
Online reports indicate the debris could be from a Chinese space satellite that was expected to break apart Saturday evening.
No official word has been given identifying what caused the possible space debris.
Russians took a UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) ordinarily used in Moskva as a courier, and modified it for use on the battlefield.
[ColonelCassad] One of the Kurier NRTKs, transferred thanks to subscribers of the Colonelcassad and ChDambiev telegram channels, conducted reconnaissance in force on the outskirts of the settlement of Velyka Novosyolka.
The robot successfully overcame 4 minefields, 1 anti-tank ditch, 1 anti-tank tangle (wire).
It reached the outskirts of Velyka Novosyolka and fired from the AGS-17 at enemy positions. The distance from the operator to the line of opening fire was over 8,000 meters.
On the retreat after firing its ammunition, the Kurier was hit by six fpv drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants and went down in history as the first NRTK to enter Velyka Novosyolka.
His brothers will avenge him.
Robots going for revenge? I seem to recall an entire film series based on that…
[GEO.TV] Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... , whose party looks set to lose power early next year, is under increasing pressure from his own politicians to step down and let someone else take over.
The ruling Liberals face obliteration in the next election after more than nine years in office amid voter fatigue as well as anger over high prices and a housing crisis.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said more than 50 Liberal members of parliament from Ontario — the most populous of the 10 provinces and the party's main stronghold — held a call on Saturday and agreed Trudeau had to step down.
"There is no alternative but to have the leadership change now," Liberal politician Chandra Arya, traditionally a Trudeau loyalist, told the CBC on Sunday. As of last Friday, only 18 politicians had publicly demanded that Trudeau quit.
Last week, Trudeau suffered two major blows — then finance minister Chrystia Freeland quit amid a policy dispute over spending and all the opposition parties then said they would unite to bring down the minority Liberal government.
If he quit and the party had time to choose a new permanent leader, the contenders would potentially include Freeland, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, and former central bank governor Mark Carney.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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#1
Sounds like Justin’s current plan is to keep Parliament out of session until the summer so that Singh can’t knife him. If there are snap elections a bunch of MPs from his party will lose their seats. The ones that haven’t qualified for pension are upset. Trudeau will likely try to act as a dictator with regard to dealing with Trump in the meantime. He won’t have any legislative backup. Trump is in total control of the situation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 10:57
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The New York Times released a video saying that Democrats will lose even more in future elections based on state-to-state migration data.
According to their findings, California, New York, Illinois, & other blue states will lose 12 House seats and electoral college votes by… pic.twitter.com/D7okkKHVIc
#1
This predilection is based on the assumption that the Census Bureau will accurately and non-politically count the population fairly and accurately. That was not the case in 2020. Blue states were over-counted and Red States were under-counted.
#2
Having a large percentage of illegals leave will be devastating to the Dem electoral power even if the Census Bureau is fudging. It becomes a cases of too big to steal.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:19
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#3
You can't just automatically assume that people who leave California are not smart enough to know that Newsom and the Democrats are responsible for the high taxes, high cost of living and diminishing quality of life they are trying to escape.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/24/2024 12:48
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[IsraelTimes] Following the launch of a 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... missile at Israel earlier tonight, a senior member of the Iran-backed rebel group pledges that such attacks will continue "until the aggression against our people 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... stops."
"Netanyahu will learn that his dreams of a new Middle East are nothing but a punishment for him and his imported entity," tweets Hezam al-Asad.
Hezbollah made similar pledges to continue its cross-border attacks against Israel until a ceasefire was reached in Gaza but caved last month after two months during which Israel significantly intensified its counter-attacks against the Lebanese terror group.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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#3
Trump will reinstate the policies that crippled Iran economically. The US military will begin to respond to Houthi provocations with effective attacks that aren’t telegraphed to Iran 48 hours ahead of time. Special Forces will eliminate the drone bases and interdict the drone resupply lines. The Houthi will resume their status as irrelevant aboriginals.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:24
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#4
it will not be possible to wipe out Houthi leadership and also prevent civilian deaths
we have to be willing to accept that and make the case again and again and again that Houthi leadership is responsible for the civilian deaths that result from strikes against the Houthi leadership
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/24/2024 20:44
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MISSING. Harris County Tax Assessor Ann Harris Bennett who is in control of the county’s voter registrations according to records has not checked into work for FOUR YEARS. pic.twitter.com/IMpH7hU1gM
#2
Expect more of these stories as the Trump administration tries to track down the minors Biden&Co provided to one of their favored demographic groups.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
12/24/2024 6:59
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#5
In 1980 these guys are not allowed to adopt for safety reasons. Today Christians are banned from being foster parents in some different jurisdictions. Christianity is not even protection for kids anymore. It will be shown that the majority of the missing hundreds of thousands of kids were trafficked for federal funding by Christian NGOs. What percentage of those kids will be found to be in bad situations? Will it be 20%? Higher?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:05
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#2
Kimmie offloaded his unreliable unwanteds and told Vlad he didn't want them back. Vlad said he had a place for them.
The rest of the NK Army took note.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/24/2024 9:12
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Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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[11148 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
A Group of 8 Foreign Nationals have been arrested by Security Forces in the Northwestern Syrian City of Hama, for lighting a Christmas Tree in the City on Fire. Father Maher, the Priest of Hama Parish, states that the Tree will be restored and relit by Christmas. pic.twitter.com/xcdhjTQEQ3
[IsraelTimes] Hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria.
“We demand the rights of Christians,” protesters chant as they march through the Syrian capital toward the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate in the Bab Sharqi neighborhood.
The protests come a little more than two weeks after an armed coalition led by Islamists toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad, who had cast himself as a protector of minorities in the Sunni-majority country.
A demonstrator who gives his name as Georges tells AFP he was protesting “injustice against Christians.”
“If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore,” he says.
The protests erupted after a video spread on social media showing hooded fighters setting fire to a Christmas tree in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, near Hama.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fighters were foreigners from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid.
In another video posted to social media, a religious leader from Syria’s victorious Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) addresses residents, claiming those who torched the tree were “not Syrian” and promising they would be punished.
“The tree will be restored and lit up by tomorrow morning,” he says.
The Islamist HTS movement, rooted in Al-Qaeda and supported by Turkey, has promised to protect minorities since its lightning offensive toppled Assad this month following years of stalemate.
The wrong-way driver who killed an off-duty Las Vegas officer had been deported from the U.S. twice before the crash, according to federal officials. https://t.co/vhfbkv4HqO
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Fernando Jimenez-Jimenez, 31, was a Mexican citizen. An ICE spokesperson said Jimenez entered the United States twice in 2019 “and was returned to Mexico on an order of expedited removal.”
The spokesperson also said Jimenez applied for admission to the U.S. on Jan. 24, 2020 in Brownsville, Texas but never appeared for his immigration hearing nearly two years later on Dec. 2, 2021. An immigration ordered him to be deported when he didn’t go to court.
It’s unknown where Jimenez was in the years after that hearing up until the deadly crash.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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#1
..well, their PM ran for cover when some truckers showed up. The government will however send a SWAT team after Christian preacher who dare hold services when told not to.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:07 Drone operators of the North group of forces destroyed enemy reconnaissance UAVs in the Khar'kov region –Ministry of Defense.
Objective control footage shows how Russian UAV operators of the Northern Forces Group shot down several enemy reconnaissance drones in the air.
19:35 Presumably, the Russian Armed Forces lead fighting in the center of Zagryzov.
19:27 Assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces advanced in Toretsk.
19:12 From 16:50 to 17:30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Republic of Crimea.
18:47 Captured Ukrainian serviceman Anatoly Startsev –about the execution of deserters by the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
According to the prisoner of war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command shoots soldiers leaving their positions in the LPR, and documents the death as allegedly due to careless handling of weapons.
Startsev said that their commanders did not appear at the front lines, tasks were assigned via radio, and there was nothing to say about providing personnel with supplies:
"When we sat for 10 days without provisions, we were already getting ready to go and surrender to you. The senior who led us, we never saw him, we only communicated by radio, told us: "I will personally shoot you. No one will go back."
The prisoner shared that he had undergone retraining in the Zhitomir region. There, the militants were psychologically indoctrinated against the Russians.
Startsev also noted that the Ukrainian command kept them in the dark and did not even explain where and whose positions were.
"When they were taking us to the position, they didn't say that we were going to zero. They just said that we would go to the training ground to continue learning - only from a different place," the prisoner said of how he ended up at the front.
17:25 According to incoming information in the form of objective control, our troops, after the liberation of Kruglenkiy in the Kursk region, were able to closely approach Viktorovka in the outskirts of Malaya Loknya, report s war correspondent Timofey Ermakov.
16:00 Advance in the Severny microdistrict of Chasova Yara –map.
15:52 Kursk region. Advance of assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces south of Kruglenky in the direction of Viktorovka.
15:18 Pokrovsky district. RF Armed Forces are being fixed on the eastern outskirts of Novovasilevka.
14:02 Servicemen of the 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade evacuated civilians from under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
13:51 “Choose: to live or to die on Russian soil in ruins” –video
Ukrainian militants surrendered to our fighters in the Kursk border area after a powerful speech by a Russian soldier. He reminded the VSU fighters that they were surrounded and had only two options.
Eventually, reason prevailed, and the Ukrainian fighters emerged from the basement with their hands raised.
13:28 An explosion is reported in Kyiv.
13:20 At the moment is carried out Russian drones attack Ukrainian Armed Forces positions. Air raid sirens sound in Kyiv and several northern regions
"Gerani" in the south of the Chernihiv region, southwest course;
"Gerani" in the east of the Kyiv region, heading west;
"Gerani" in the central part of the Sumy region, southwest course;
"Gerani" in the direction of Boryspil from the east.
12:58 A powerful explosion was heard near Zhitomir in the area of an armored vehicle plant where equipment is assembled and foreign tanks are repaired, the pro-Russian resistance told RIA Novosti.
12:46 They come as operational data on active assault operations in Novoolenovka near Krasnoarmeysk.
12:01 The Russian Armed Forces continue to advance in the Kursk region
Russian militaryreleasedthe village of Kruglenkoye and are storming Kurilovka near Sudzha.
The settlement, occupied by the enemy in the first days of the invasion, is located 3.5 km from the city and is an important stronghold of the enemy on the way to the P200 highway, which is the main source of supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.
11:41 The strike yesterday evening was carried out on an active military airfield in Mirgorod, Poltava region, the pro-Russian resistance told RIA Novosti.
After a small regrouping, Russian troops began clearing out Storozhevoy and are gradually advancing toward Neskuchnoye. There is practically no trace left in this area of last year's activity by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which began a counteroffensive from here with the goal of reaching Mariupol, writes "War Chronicle".
It would not be wrong to say that after the capture of Neskuchny, the fate of Velyka Novosyolka and the garrison of the Ukrainian army would be virtually predetermined, since after several attempts to storm it, Russian troops managed to bypass the village from the north and begin its encirclement in the area of Novy Komar;
Advance is difficult, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are resisting as best they can, but the shortage of people in the trenches and the Russian Federation's superiority in artillery are affecting the Ukrainian army's ability to fight back for a long time;
The most important strongholds in this area are gradually falling away from the defensive network. Most likely, the alignment of the front line here will begin immediately after the Russian army finally crushes the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kurakhovo.
11:00 Kalinin Hospital comes under fire in Donetsk
The enemy is once again striking civilian targets. The strike was carried out using the American HIMARS multiple rocket launcher.
About six missiles were shot down by our air defense, reports War correspondent Rudenko.
10:59 Footage of the destruction of a Ukrainian armored fighting vehicle —video.
10:46 The Russian Armed Forces have occupied the center in Terny near Liman and continue to push back the enemy. This was reported by a Ukrainian serviceman with the call sign "Muchnoy".
The information is also confirmed by other militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"The situation in Terny is difficult... Over the past week, the situation there has significantly worsened, the village, which was already destroyed, has now been completely dismantled by KABs, there is practically nowhere to stay in it," writes a militant with the call sign "Alex."
According to him, new infantry of the Russian Armed Forces is being brought into the village, and the prognosis for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is disappointing.
9:43 The Russian Armed Forces took control of the Severny microdistrict in Chasov Yar, stated Denis Pushilin.
9:11 The distance from Russian positions to the Pokrovskoye mine administration in the DPR is approximately three km.
This information is from TASS reported in the security forces.
9:40 New Su-57 and Su-34 sent to Russian troops
The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of Rostec,sent new aircraft were delivered to the Russian Armed Forces.
Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov recalled that the Su-34 bomber is valued for its high tactical, technical and combat characteristics, and the Su-57 is currently the world's only fifth-generation fighter. Chemezov called it the "king of the sky."
9:00 Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted six strikes on Gornostaevsky district
"The settlement of Kairy was subjected to shelling. In addition, seven cases of UAV attacks were recorded on the territory of Gornostaevka, Kair and Zavodovka," the district administration reported.
8:05 Destruction of the enemy's control and adjustment point in the village of Belogorovka.
UAV operators of the 7th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade discovered a permanent firing point, where an enemy control and adjustment point was located. The enemy position was destroyed by the forces of the 2nd Artillery Brigade, -video.
[IsraelTimes] Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said to tell meeting that he will not allow political polarization to split troops under his command, notes danger posed to force by refusal to serve
Finally! Hopefully this time our monkeys will copy Israel’s.
Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar has reportedly vowed that he will not allow political divides to again split the branch of the military under his command, Channel 12 reported, as calls to boycott reserve duty resurface amid indications from the government that it seeks to revive its controversial judicial overhaul.
According to the unsourced report Saturday, Bar made the remarks during an Air Force meeting last week, telling those present that "dividing voices are again raising their heads recently."
"I am very firm in my intention that this time politics will not return to penetrate the air force," he said during a meeting with senior officers who were tasked with investigating the IAF’s activity on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... -led attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and opened the still-ongoing war in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.
Bar’s remarks came as Justice Minister Yariv Levin has declared he wishes to restart a controversial government plan to overhaul the judiciary, making changes that opponents say will significantly erode the democratic nature of the country.
When the government first tried to push through the changes in 2023 it prompted months of mass protests across the country and calls for IDF reservist soldiers to not volunteer for special service duties, including pilots. The judicial plan was eventually paused and then pushed aside by the shock October 7 Hamas attack.
At the recent meeting, Bar reportedly said that on the day of the attack, the air force was "at full operational ability" but, had the attack come a few weeks later, "it is possible there would have been harm to the force’s abilities," apparently referring to momentum among reservists to protest the judicial overhaul plan by not showing up for service.
Last week, former state attorney Moshe Lador encouraged IAF pilots to stop volunteering for reserve duty if the government revives the judicial overhaul.
Lador’s comments sparked angry condemnations from both the coalition and the opposition, as well as from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who said that the IDF "must remain outside any political controversy," especially during the current fraught period for national security.
After completing their years of mandatory service, IAF pilots regularly continue to serve in the reserves in a voluntary capacity. At the height of the 2023 protests against the judicial overhaul, hundreds of IDF reservists signed declarations saying that they would no longer show up for reserve duty in protest of the government advancing its plans to curtail the judiciary.
Alongside Levin’s calls to bring the judicial overhaul back on the agenda, the government is working on other contentious legislation dealing with the drafting of ultra-Orthodox community members who in the past enjoyed sweeping exemptions from duty.
Ultra-Orthodox parties in the government are demanding legislation to largely preserve the exemptions after the High Court of Justice ruled in June that there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into compulsory service.
Israelis who do serve say the decades-long arrangement of mass exemptions unfairly burdens them and their families, a sentiment that has intensified since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught and the ensuing war, in which more than 780 soldiers have been killed and some 300,000 citizens were called up to reserve duty.
The military has said that it currently requires some 10,000 new soldiers — 75 percent of whom would be combat troops — amid the multifront war.
Last week, a former chief rabbi caused a wave of outrage after saying that all ultra-Orthodox men should not be drafted into the Israel Defense Forces.
In October, a group of IDF reservists penned a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi criticizing the continued failure to draft members of the ultra-Orthodox community.
The letter sent by the reservists comes against the backdrop of bitter disagreements in the Knesset over the issue of enlistment to the IDF.
#4
While not a Flag, they need to start w/CO of the USS Gettysburg: revealed today they fired a missile at a second F/A-18, but realized it in time to shut down guidance. So they splashed one, but didn’t pick up the spare….
Completely unsat. (The entire incident, not missing the spare; that was sarc if you missed it)
[AFRICANEWS] Moussa Idriss says he is ready to turn a new page. Once a Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... fighter, Idriss surrendered to the Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... ian army in 2017.
At a centre for disarmed and demobilized fighters in Cameroon's Far North region, Idriss and his colleagues will be taught new skills to help them lead productive lives.
"Today, I am ready to return home to my family. I am happy to reunite with my family, my brothers, and my father. I want to stay in the community,'' said the ex-combatant.
Since 2018, Cameroon has set up two deradicalization centres in Mora and Meri where more than 3,000 former fighters are being trained in various trades.
"Here in Meri, we have nearly 3,000 ex-fighters who have gone through training at the Meri transit centre. Today, 600 of them have been selected as part of the first wave to reintegrate into different communities," said Evariste Atangana Zoua, a regional administrator.
Officials overseeing the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Re-integration (DDR) efforts say the process will be cartefully monitored to ensure ex-combatants are fully reformed.
But it is not always smooth.
While the ex-fighters are free to choose where they settle to lead a civilian life, local communities sometimes reject them due to past trauma and fear that they have not fully renounced violence.
"If we cannot forgive and accept reconciliation with those who took up arms yesterday, we will not achieve the lasting peace that the Head of State has so greatly wished for," said Oumar Bichair, the head of disarmament program in the Far North region.
Some of the re-integrated individuals are Nigerian. They have decided to remain in Cameroon for fear of reprisal if they return to their home country.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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#1
I wonder how long this will last before a lot of them return to their former ways.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/24/2024 8:38
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#2
It depends on whether this is a winter quarters thing like the Taliban used to do, or if they really mean it.
[AFRICANEWS] The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) comprised of Mali Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president used to be Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and was chased out in 2014. Now it's the usual army officer type guy, Captain Ibrahim Traore, running things, who's just doing a bang-up job unless he's already been deposed... and Niger have rejected the timeline issues by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) claiming it is a scheme to destabilize their newfound entity.
At a summit held a week ago in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional organization announced a six-month withdrawal period to allow the three countries to reconsider their decision after their official departure date at the end of January 2025.
But according to the AES heads of state, this decision is ''nothing more than yet another attempt by the French and its auxiliaries to continue planning and carrying out destabilizing actions against the AES''.
Their communiqu adds that ''this unilateral decision is not binding on the ESA countries''. They had already indicated before the summit that their decision to leave the organization was ''irreversible''.
This will be a ''transition period'' lasting until ''July 29, 2025'' to ''keep the doors of Ecowas open'', according to the President of the Ecowas Commission.
The three countries accused the bloc of ''inhumane and irresponsible'' coup-related sanctions and of failing to help them solve their internal security crises.
The three coup-hit countries have largely rebuffed ECOWAS' efforts to reverse their withdrawal. They have started considering how to issue travel documents separately from ECOWAS and are forming their own alliance. The one-year notice for their departure is expected to be completed in January.
One major benefit of being an ECOWAS member is visa-free movement to member states, and it is not clear how that could change after the three countries leave the bloc.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[AFRICANEWS] Egypt's foreign minister discussed Red Sea and developments in Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... with his Somali counterpart on Monday during bilateral talks in Cairo.
The meeting happened around a month after Æthiopia and Somalia agreed to hold ''technical talks'' to resolve a dispute sparked by Æthiopia's deal with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland.
Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi reiterated that the talks were successful in curbing further violence in the region, which would've lead to "a dangerous explosion that could have burned everyone's interests."
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... has been mediating between the two east African countries as tensions between them have simmered since Æthiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland in January to lease land along its coastline to establish a marine force base.
In return, Æthiopia would recognize Somaliland's independence, which Somalia says infringes on its illusory sovereignty and territory.
The resulting declaration said the sides agreed the talks, which would begin by February 2025 and conclude within four months, would respect Somalia's territorial integrity while recognizing ''potential benefits'' of Æthiopia's access to the sea.
Fiqi again lauded the agreement for its maintenance of "Somalia's illusory sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."
Separately, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke on the importance of the Red Sea's autonomy as a strategic location, saying that "the presence of any party other than coastal countries of the Red Sea is unacceptable."
In a joint statement after meeting, the two ministers agreed on the importance of developing bilateral relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2024
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[DailyCaller] With less than a month to go before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the top brass are already running for cover. This week the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, pledged to cut approximately a dozen general officers from the U.S. Army.
It is a start.
But given the Army is authorized 219 general officers, cutting just 12 is using a scalpel when a machete is in order. At present, the ratio of officers to enlisted personnel stands at an all-time high. During World War II, we had one general for every 6,000 troops. Today, we have one for every 1,600.
Right now, the United States has 1.3 million active-duty service members according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. Of those, 885 are flag officers (fun fact: you get your own flag when you make general or admiral, hence the term “flag officer” and “flagship”). In the reserve world, the ratio is even worse. There are 925 general and flag officers and a total reserve force of just 760,499 personnel. That is a flag for every 674 enlisted troops.
The hallways at the Pentagon are filled with a constellation of stars and the legions of staffers who support them. I’ve worked in both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Starting around 2011, the Joint Staff began to surge in scope and power. Though the chairman of the Joint Chiefs is not in the chain of command and simply serves as an advisor to the president, there are a staggering 4,409 people working for the Joint Staff, including 1,400 civilians with an average salary of $196,800 (yes, you read that correctly). The Joint Staff budget for 2025 is estimated by the Department of Defense’s comptroller to be $1.3 billion.
In contrast, the Secretary of Defense — the civilian in charge of running our nation’s military — has a staff of 2,646 civilians and uniformed personnel. The disparity between the two staffs threatens the longstanding American principle of civilian control of the military.
Just look at what happens when civilians in the White House or the Senate dare question the ranks of America’s general class. “Politicizing the military!” critics cry, as if the Commander-in-Chief has no right to question the judgement of generals who botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan, bought into the woke ideology of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or oversaw over-budget and behind-schedule weapons systems. Introducing accountability to the general class is not politicizing our nation’s military — it is called leadership.
What most Americans don’t understand is that our top brass is already very political. On any given day in our nation’s Capitol, a casual visitor is likely to run into multiple generals and admirals visiting our elected representatives and their staff. Ostensibly, these “briefs” are about various strategic threats and weapons systems — but everyone on the Hill knows our military leaders are also jockeying for their next assignment or promotion. It’s classic politics.
The country witnessed this firsthand with now-retired Gen. Mark Milley. Most Americans were put off by what they saw. Milley brazenly played the Washington spin game, bragging in a Senate Armed Services hearing that he had interviewed with Bob Woodward and a host of other Washington, D.C. reporters.
Woodward later admitted in an interview with CNN that he was flabbergasted by Milley, recalling the chairman hadn’t just said “[Trump] is a problem or we can’t trust him,” but took it to the point of saying, “he is a danger to the country. He is the most dangerous person I know.” Woodward said that Milley’s attitude felt like an assignment editor ordering him, “Do something about this.”
Think on that a moment — an active-duty four star general spoke on the record, disparaging the Commander-in-Chief. Not only did it show rank insubordination and a breach of Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 88, but Milley’s actions represented a grave threat against the Constitution and civilian oversight of the military.
How will it play out now that Trump has returned? Old political hands know that what goes around comes around. Milley’s ham-handed political meddling may very well pave the way for a massive reorganization of flag officers similar to Gen. George C. Marshall’s “plucking board” of 1940. Marshall forced 500 colonels into retirement saying, “You give a good leader very little and he will succeed; you give mediocrity a great deal and they will fail.”
Marshall’s efforts to reorient the War Department to a meritocracy proved prescient when the United States entered World War II less than two years later.
Perhaps it’s time for another plucking board to remind the military brass that it is their civilian bosses who sit at the top of the U.S. chain of command.
#2
Sort of the same with most government entities and major NGO organizations, NN2N1.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/24/2024 8:43
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#3
As WWII started up, Britian had a hard time finding enough pointless jobs for all of it's pointless Generals. I'm hoping we don't have that problem.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/24/2024 9:09
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#4
Peacetime rank inflation, about one grade, actually seems reasonable, because wars happen faster than training, especially of officers. The hardest part is finding ways for these people to maintain/develop actual war skills instead of dragging the whole system down with BS.
#5
The seeds of this was planted in the 70s with the large draw down of soldiers after Vietnam. At that time the Army had reserve officer and regular officers. They all had rank/grades in the Army of the United States. In theory, when the Army was to be 'demobilized' the 'reserves' would be released from active duty and the regular officers would revert to their regular Army rank which was often one or two grades less than what they were mobilized Army. The reserve officers went to the judiciary who absolutely no understanding of that construct and got a decree that said the Army had to treat the reservists [aka part timers] the same as the regular officers. This chart shows the rank progress of Eisenhower through the two rank system. The Army had to revise the entire rank and promotion system because of that which set the race to the top we have today.
#7
Stalin purged his officer corps before WWII and still managed to defeat the Wehrmacht. He had a tough time doing it but at least he didn't have to worry about the Red Army turning on him.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/24/2024 13:21
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#3
Given the pier has withstood, such wave for well over 100+ years. Why now?
Since the wharf was under repair, there was heavy equipment and materials on it at the time. Could that have placed it in a far greater state of stress?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/24/2024 9:05
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#6
There will be idiots that take this warning as an invitation to bungee a surfboard onto the top of their Mystery Machine.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/24/2024 11:09
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#7
Big, big surf in California this week. Surfers are having a Merry Christmas indeed. Yes, the ocean always wins if you try to go against it. But riding waves on a surfboard is working with the ocean for the purpose of getting stoked. I believe that G*d regards surfers with approval...at least when they're surfing.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/24/2024 12:35
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#8
Awaiting explanatory commentary from Rantburg's resident civil engineers.
#9
Did rehab work on Crystal Pier and OB Pier (soon to be replaced). Structural members weaken over years (storm surge and boring worms) and need to be replaced or DENSO fiberglass wraps. If we'd have underwent 60' waves with equipment loads, we'd have been fooked. Can't replace fast enough to catch up. The ocean wins, inevitably.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/24/2024 13:47
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#10
At least wave action is a respectable way for a pier to be wrecked, unlike the fire that destroyed the far end of Oceanside's pier. They said the fire was accidental but never explained any more than that.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/24/2024 15:17
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#11
^ I understand it was old under-deck electrical wiring
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/24/2024 15:18
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[Ynet] Adjacent to a newly operational seawater desalination plant designed to serve soldiers in Gaza, the IDF has constructed a small beachfront retreat for its troops. This unique respite, situated amid the devastation of enemy territory, offers soldiers a rare break from their grueling missions in the Gaza Strip.
The retreat, established 14 months after the tanks and APCs of the Givati and 401st Armored Brigades first breached Gaza's gates on October 27, 2023, is an impressive haven of civilian-style comfort. Set amidst the rubble of the war-torn region, the complex includes artificial turf surrounded by modern, portable buildings. These spaces offer officers and their subordinates a chance to converse in a relaxed, private setting reminiscent of rear-base training facilities in Israel.
Within the facility, soldiers have access to mental health support from counselors and remote consultations with physicians via the Tyto device, as well as on-site care from a nurse and a paramedic. The paramedic, Shami—a 64-year-old reservist and medical assistant at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center—explains, "We have 99% of the medications they might need here. It works well." Nearby, a physical therapist provides massages for sore backs and legs, while a mobile dental clinic, staffed by a young dentist and assistant, offers essential care.
And when they leave — whenever things calm down enough to allow that — they’ll leave it all behind for the locals. Perhaps this time the locals will be smart enough to accept it, instead of smashing it to dust like they did the greenhouses left behind when Ariel Sharon pulled the settlers out.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
12/24/2024
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[11145 views]
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#1
Gentle reminder: American troops’ extended stay in Germany now 80 years post-WWII.
I’m not a professor of international affairs, but I’m wondering whether that’s why Germany hasn’t invaded the Poles or the Czechs or the Austrians or the French or the Belgians or the Dutch or the Danes or the Russians or the Norwegians or the Greeks or the Bulgarians or others in 80 years; and maybe that’s why Germans haven’t fired rockets England either.
Why hasn’t the UN called for withdrawal of American troops from Germany or from Japan? Why hasn’t the UN called for withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria?
#2
Germany hasn’t invaded the Poles or the Czechs or the Austrians or the French or the Belgians or the Dutch or the Danes or the Russians or the Norwegians or the Greeks or the Bulgarians or others in 80 years
🇩🇪 BREAKING NEWS: It is reported that more than 20,000 people have gathered in the city center of Magdeburg for the AfD rally. pic.twitter.com/syiXVC2rBC
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to formulate an answer for how his government missed so many warnings about the Saudi Arabian who perpetrated Friday's unspeakable carnage.
After the deadly terror attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, the capital of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, it has emerged that German officials received several warnings about the alleged perpetrator over the past few years but failed to act on them.
...Over the weekend it has become clear that Taleb A
…Dr Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen, a psychotherapist who settled in Bernburg near Magdeburg and practiced there since 2006. He was finally granted legal residency and asylum status in 2016. His name is Shiite, and he hails from Hofuf in the Shiite region of Saudi Arabia. While he paraded his anti-Islam stance and work to rescue women escaping to the West from Saudi Arabia, including in news interviews as recently as a few days ago, his statements about the necessity of killing lots of Germans to punish them for importing so many Moslems from Syria, and the act of driving a rented BMW into a Christmas market suggest, coupled with the accusation that he fled Saudi Arabia not because he was an apostate but to avoid prison for assaulting a woman, fit in with the idea that this was a Sudden Jihad Syndrome attack, long planned. And then there is the fact that he had taken drugs before commencing his attack, a common jihadi behaviour…
– a Saudi national who came to Germany as an asylum seeker in 2006 and worked as a psychiatrist – was well known in Germany as a supposed critic of Islam. His account on X had more than 10,000 followers.
In 2013, Taleb A had reportedly allegedly threatened to commit a terror attack in a communication with the Chamber of Physicians of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The police searched his apartment but found no indication of an imminent attack. He was later fined for “threatening to commit a crime”. Despite that, he was granted asylum in Germany in 2016.
After the incident in Magdeburg it was claimed by former colleagues that Taleb A had some time ago been banned from working at one hospital after he allegedly prescribed patients potentially lethal medication.
In August 2023, he reportedly posted on X: “A purely philosophical question: Would you resent me for indiscriminately killing twenty Germans because Germany is working against the Saudi opposition?”
Users on X who ran afoul of the terrorist reported his threatening conversations to the German Polizei, and for whatever reason, be it conversations in English or general disinterest, the German authorities never acted on any of the tips they received.
In fact, when prosecutors in Cologne received threats directly from Taleb A himself, the German police reacted with...a stern letter.
...After a threatening e-mail to the Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne in 2023, Taleb A received a letter from police telling him “to stop writing such letters”.
As much as it seems sentiment is united against Scholz, it is divided by the usual schism of left-leaners versus everyone else being 'far-right.'
There have been peaceful marches through the site of the market by tens of thousands of Germans, who called for deportations in the wake of the atrocity. They are, of course, being characterized as right-wing extremists and using the tragedy for political purposes.
Maybe they've seen enough to see through the calls to reject hate for what they are - calls to accept the current situation as their new normal. Accept this chaos and fear as the new Germany.
BREAKING: 🇩🇪🔥Just after Germany's horror Christmas market terror attack, a 17-year-old Syrian armed with a knife attacked and damaged numerous cars near a school in Singen in southern Germany.
When a German pensioner tried to stop him, the Syrian tried to stab the elderly man… pic.twitter.com/rOkOB8HN1t
… tried to stab the elderly man in the stomach, according to police
When police arrive on scene, they are confronted with the Syrian who keeps rushing at them with a knife, resulting in one officer firing a warning shot. Police then ram the suspect with their vehicle
A police woman also sustained an injury during the man's chaotic arrest.
New information is emerging about the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg last Friday, which claimed the lives of five people. It has been revealed that the German police had contacted the perpetrator a few weeks before the attack. Furthermore, according to Radio ZET, the attacker's will was found in his car.
In the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday, December 20, five people lost their lives, including a 9-year-old boy. Yesterday, the German media reported that the number of injured had risen to 235, with more injured people continuing to report to hospitals.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing. The perpetrator is a doctor of psychology, Taleb Abdul Jawad, a 50-year-old born in Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany since 2006.
Jawad is currently in investigative custody, as he was apprehended immediately after the attack. Now, new information about him is coming to light. It turns out that the doctor had been attracting the attention of authorities for some time.
THE WILL IN TALEB A.'S CAR
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang, quoted the dpa agency as saying that the German police had contacted Jawad as early as September 2023. He was interrogated at one of the stations in the Salzland district (Saxony-Anhalt). The second interrogation took place a few weeks before the attack, in October 2023, this time at the perpetrator's workplace.
Weekly "Spiegel" reports that investigators found his will in the perpetrator's car (he rented a BMW over a week before the attack). In it, he wrote that after his death, his entire estate should go to the German Red Cross. According to the newspaper, the text contained no political messages.
Initially a work migrant who had a scholarship from the Saudi government to study medicine in Germany, it is claimed al-Abdulmohsen later became critical of his home nation and denounced Islam.
As now revealed by German newspaper Die Welt, even before al-Abdulmohsen was granted asylum status and given leave to remain in the country he exhibited erratic behaivour, and was convicted for disturbing the peace” over apparent terroristic threats made in 2013.
It is reported al-Abdulmohsen had been in the process of getting his certifications to practice medicine in Germany and was applying for professional examination at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Medical Association, but upon being told he needed to submit additional documents, he handed the organisation a deadline to comply with his demands and a threat. Court documents unearthed from his 2014 prosecution states he told the medical association that “something bad with international significance” would happen to them, adding: “Have you seen the pictures from Boston? Things like that happen here too”.
This apparent threat was made by al-Abdulmohsen just days after the Boston Marathon Bombing and, consequently, the police were called. In court, al-Abdulmohsen insisted he had been under a lot of pressure because of his situation with Saudi Arabia, and claimed he only meant to threaten negative newspaper stories about the organisation, not an actual terrorist attack.
Further, he accused the medical association staff of assuming he meant an actual terror attack because they were prejudiced against Arabs.
The judge rejected this and said, it was reported, al-Abdulmohsen had an “above-average command of the German language and had an extensive vocabulary” and consequently would well understand how his words would be taken by others. The then-trainee doctor rejected the finding of the court, refused to accept responsibility, and even tried to take the legal officials involved to court, it is stated.
Remarkably despite this run-in with the law, al-Abdulmohsen was later granted a licence to practice medicine as a psychiatrist in Germany, and was granted asylum status in 2016.
A growing catalogue of other signs to the authorities is now being established, including people encountering him professionally finding his work as a psychiatrist so slapdash they questioned whether he really had medical qualifications, dubbing him “Dr Google”.
An even clearer instance of failure by the German state to prevent the death of five last week was that while the Christmas market was secured against attacks, the single vehicle route into the area — maintained for the access of emergency vehicles — hadn’t been blocked by having a police truck parked across it, as intended.
Between 2011 and 2016, Abdulmohsen lived in Stralsund, in Germany’s northeast, where he studied medicine. In 2013, he clashed with the medical chamber in nearby Rostock concerning the recognition of qualifications earned outside Germany, Christian Pegel, state interior minister of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, told journalists on Sunday.
While on the phone with the chamber, “he threatened an act that, I quote, ‘people would remember and would attract international attention’,” Pegel said, adding that he had pointed to the 2013 Boston marathon bombing, an Islamist attack that had killed three people.
Police investigated Abdulmohsen as a result but concluded he wasn’t a threat because he didn’t show any sign of Islamist extremism, Pegel said. In late 2013, a court in Rostock fined him for disturbing the peace by threatening a crime.
The following year, he visited a local administration in Stralsund to request financial support and, when denied, warned an employee he would commit “an act that would draw international attention,” Pegel said. He also threatened to commit suicide. Given his existing conviction, he was interviewed by police, who warned him to stand down from future threats, Pegel said.
In 2015, he complained about his conviction in a letter to the state legal administration and in a call to the chancellery in Berlin, Pegel said. In his complaints, he insulted the judge who had pronounced his verdict, and threatened to acquire a gun, he said.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.23 From the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation until the end of October 2024, 184 bodies of Ukrainians killed in captivity were returned to Ukraine, including 169 military personnel and 15 civilians. This was reported by the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) with reference to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
21.07 Russian troops dropped UABs on Stepnogorsk in Zaporizhia Oblast, a woman was wounded, there is destruction. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov on Monday, December 23.
18.27 Since the beginning of the current day, the total number of combat clashes on the front line has increased to 164. Fighting is taking place in 11 directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00.
18.16 The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion, which is being formed in Poland, has already left for Ukraine, where the servicemen will continue their training. This was reported by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar.
17.53 North Korea lost more than three thousand soldiers killed and wounded in the war against Ukraine. This data was announced by President Zelensky.
17.17 The initiative to involve North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine came from Pyongyang, not Moscow. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin quickly supported the proposal, US media reports , citing intelligence sources.
16:58 The largest Russian military training ground Kadamovsky (Persianovsky settlement, Rostov region) was attacked on Sunday, December 22. The training ground was attacked by missiles and drones, ASTRA reports .
16.56 Information about the presence of units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the operational encirclement in the village of Makarovka in Donetsk Oblast, disseminated in the media, does not correspond to reality. This was reported by the Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSGV) Khortytsia.
15.59 The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council has denied information about the alleged murder of a civilian man by TCC employees in Odessa. It is noted that the video distributed online is of Russian origin and is part of a propaganda campaign to discredit mobilization activities in Ukraine.
15.21 Germany has transferred a large package of military support to Ukraine, including Patriot air defense systems, IRIS-T, tanks, missiles, drones and other ammunition. This is evidenced by updated data on the German government website.
15.13 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen will undergo courses in survival, avoidance of capture, resistance in captivity and evacuation (SERE) according to a new military standard. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense.
14:48 Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico does not want to participate in joint work on Europe's energy independence, but wants to help Russia push American gas and other partners' energy resources out of the European continent. Putin provides significant discounts to Fico, but Slovakia pays for them, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said .
14.20 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a substantive telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Ukrainian leader reported details of the negotiations.
13:56 More than a third of Russians (37%) said they wanted to ask Father Frost for "victory" in the war against Ukraine. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center.
12:45 In the Toretsk direction, two infantrymen of the 5th rifle battalion of the 28th separate separate brigade took five Russian assault troops prisoner. One of the soldiers who took the prisoners had previously been in the Special Operations Department for about a year, but decided to join the ranks of the 28th separate separate separate brigade.
11:35 Ukrainians generally support the restoration of nuclear weapons, which Ukraine renounced 30 years ago under the Budapest Memorandum.
Overall, 73% are favorable to the idea of restoring nuclear weapons.
In the event of a loss of support and sanctions from the West, a favorable attitude towards the restoration of nuclear weapons drops to 46%, and the share of those who would not support such an initiative rises to 44% (and the remaining 10% have undecided views).
10:00 In the Kyiv region, houses, cars and power lines were damaged as a result of falling debris from downed drones. There were no casualties among the population. No critical or residential infrastructure was hit.
In one of the districts, a power line was damaged. Power supply has already been restored. In another district, four private houses, a garage and three cars were damaged.
9:40 At night, the Russians attacked Ukraine with 72 "shaheds" and other types of drones, 47 drones were destroyed in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhitomir, Khmelnytsky and Odessa regions. The rest were lost in location.
In Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions, private enterprises and residential buildings were damaged. There were no casualties.
9:05 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unjustified.
"I have often told Zelensky that he should stop criticizing Olaf Scholz, because I think it is unfair," he said.
Rutte stressed that Germany's support for Ukraine is unprecedented and second only to the United States in terms of volume, and for this Ukraine "should be grateful to Scholz."
8:44 A warehouse containing parts for Shahed-136 drones has been destroyed in Russia. Russian losses are estimated at $16 million. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
"A warehouse where parts for Shahed-136 drones, which the aggressor uses to strike Ukraine, were stored caught fire in the Alabuga economic zone in Russia," the GUR reported.
It is noted that the building contained 65 fuselages of attack drones, as well as engines, navigation systems, thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 units of "shaheds" - everything burned down.
8:30 Over the past 24 hours, 234 combat clashes have been recorded. In the Kurakhovo direction, the Defense Forces repelled 30 attacks. In Kurakhovo, fighting continues in the urban area. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the morning report.
8:18 Operators of the 8th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces have destroyed 77 and wounded more than 40 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia over the past three days.
Ukrainian defenders also destroyed 12 vehicles, three buggies and an armored fighting vehicle.
7:55 As of December 23, the total combat losses of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory were estimated at 776,090 people (1,990 per day).
7:30 North Korea is preparing to send additional troops and military equipment to Russia, including kamikaze drones. This was reported by Yonhap, citing data from South Korean intelligence.
"A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence sources indicates that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase its deployment of troops to Russia," South Korean intelligence said, adding that North Korea is beginning to produce and supply kamikaze drones.
[IsraelTimes] Dearth of tourism since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack leaves West Bank city with empty streets, empty shops and empty guestrooms at what should be most wonderful time of the year.
The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of 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... , there are almost no tourists, leaving the Nativity Store and other businesses unsure of how much longer they can hold on.
For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to the ongoing war in Gaza. There will be no giant Christmas tree in Manger Square, no raucous scout marching bands, no public lights twinkling, and very few public decorations or displays.
"Last year before Christmas, we had more hope, but now again we are close to Christmas and we don’t have anything," said Rony Tabash, the third-generation owner of Nativity Store.
Israel’s war against Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... has been raging for nearly 15 months, and there still is no end in sight. Repeated ceasefire efforts have stalled. The war started on October 7, 2023, when the Paleostinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. One hundred hostages are still held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.
Since the war began, tourism to Israel and the Israeli-controlled West Bank has plummeted. And, after Israel barred entry to most of the 150,000 Paleostinians in the West Bank who had jobs in Israel because of the war, the Paleostinian economy contracted by 25 percent in the past year.
The yearly Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem — shared among Armenian, Catholic, and Orthodox denominations — are usually major boons for the city, where tourism accounts for 70% of its yearly income. But the streets are empty this season.
Tabash said he continues to open the store every day, but often an entire week will go by without a sale. Tabash works with more than 25 local families who create hand-carved religious items out of the region’s storied olive wood. But with no buyers, work has dried up for these families.
PLENTY OF ROOM AT THE INN
The number of visitors to the city plunged from a pre-COVID high of around 2 million visitors per year in 2019 to fewer than 100,000 visitors in 2024, said Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Paleostinian tourism ministry.
According to the Christmas story, Mary was forced to give birth to Jesus in a stable because there was no room at the inn. Today, nearly all of Bethlehem’s 5,500 hotel rooms are empty.
The city’s hotel occupancy rate plunged from around 80% in early 2023 to around 3% today, said Elias Al Arja, the head of Bethlehem Hoteliers Association. At his own hotel, the Bethlehem Hotel, he said he has laid off a staff of more than 120 people and retains just five employees.
Qumsiyeh worries that when the war ends and tourism eventually rebounds, many of the families that have handed down traditional skills for generations will no longer be making the items that reflect Paleostinian heritage and culture.
Many are leaving the region entirely.
"We have witnessed a very high rate of emigration since the beginning of the aggression, especially among those working in the tourism sector," said Qumsiyeh.
SLOUCHING TOWARD CHRISTMAS
Almost 500 families have left Bethlehem in the past year, said Mayor Anton Salman. And those are just the families who moved abroad with official residency visas. Many others have moved abroad on temporary tourist visas and are working illegally, and it’s unclear if they will return, Salman said.
Around half of the population in the Bethlehem area, including nearby villages, works in either tourism or in jobs in Israel.
The unemployment rate in Bethlehem is roughly 50%, said Salman. Unemployment across the West Bank is around 30%, according to the Paleostinian Economy Ministry.
Canceling Christmas festivities is one way to draw attention to the difficult situation in Bethlehem and across the Paleostinian territories, said Salman.
"This year we want to show the world that the Paleostinian people are still suffering and they haven’t the joy that everybody else in the world having," said Salman.
It is another blow to the Holy Land’s dwindling population over the decade due to emigration and a low birthrate.
Christians are a small percentage of the population. There are about 188,000 in Israel including 12,850 in Jerusalem; There are 37,500 in the West Bank, and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the US State Department figures, citing Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
Violence and coercion has resulted in up to a 90% decline in the Christian population in areas under Hamas or Palestinian Authority control, according to a new study by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).
In 1922, Christians constituted 11% of the population. Today, in 2024, they are just 1%.
The JCFA research, led by Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch and Attorney Tirza Shorr, discovered mass emigration of Christians, particularly from historically significant cities like Bethlehem.
The Christian population in Gaza shrank from 5,000 before Hamas took over the area to only 1,000 in October 2023, the report found.
JCFA explained that religious and legal discrimination, desecration of holy sites, and social exclusion were behind the decline in the Christian population.
The city of Bethlehem is used as an illustration of what JCFA calls "Christian demographic erasure."
In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86% Christian.
However, this has dwindled since 1994, when the PA took control of the city. The last census in 2017 showed Bethlehem was 10% Christian families, but many have left, or are leaving, due to systemic socio-economic hardships and instability, discrimination, and harassment, including of Christian clergy, by Muslim Palestinians and the Islam-dominated Palestinian Authority.
Bethlehem also serves as an example of Christians undergoing forced conversion to Islam, a phenomenon that Gaza’s Bishop Alexios, warned of in 2016. "Christians who converted to Islam did so under threats and violence," Alexios said at the time.
The report also collected testimonies regarding violence and harassment against Christians, especially of girls, since the PA took over.
Muslim clans reportedly also use force to resolve disputes.
Most cases, however, go unreported due to fear of retribution and a lack of legal enforcement.
"The survival of Christianity in its birthplace depends on awareness and action. Silence strengthens the perpetrators and leaves the victims without international support," Hirsch said.
"It’s unacceptable that in 2025, Christians in the Palestinian Authority fear reporting hate incidents against them for fear of arrest or worse," the report concludes.
Yes, the ultra-Orthodox Jews are rude to the Christians in Jerusalem, but the ultra-Orthodox Jews are rude to less orthodox Jews as well. What they really need is a solid come-to-Jesus moment to reset their attitude altogether.
[ThreadReaderApp] AFL has obtained new photos of Joe Biden meeting with Hunter Biden’s Chinese business associates and introducing Hunter to China’s President Xi Jinping.
/2 These photos shed light on the connections between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter and his Chinese business associates, and Chinese government officials, including President Xi Jinping.
/3 AFL obtained the photos through our lawsuit against the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which was filed on September 8, 2022.
https://twitter.com/america1stlegal/status/1568250453162336256
/4 Following the Presidential Records Act, NARA had planned to release these photographs on October 23, 2024 — thirteen days before Election Day.
/5 Lawyers and representatives for President Biden and President Obama delayed NARA’s release of these photos — as they did with other critical records — until after Election Day.
Unroll available on Thread Reader
https://twitter.com/america1stlegal/status/1841569470059516207
/6 In 2013, then-Vice President Biden went on an official trip across Asia, including a stop in Beijing, China. In these newly-released photographs, Joe Biden appears to introduce his son, Hunter, to President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China.
/7 Joe Biden also appeared to introduce Hunter to China’s then-Vice President Li Yuanchao.
/8 While they were in China, Joe Biden appeared to make time to meet with Hunter’s business associates at BHR Partners, including its CEO, Jonathan Li.
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/9 Joe Biden also appeared to meet with the Director and Managing Partner of BHR Partners, Ming Xue.
/10 These photos corroborate the House Oversight Committee’s investigative findings that Hunter Biden arranged for his father to meet with Jonathan Li and other BHR executives during the 2013 China trip, where “Mr. Li sought—and received—access to Vice President Biden’s political power, including, for example, preferential access to then-U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus … a condition of Hunter Biden and his associates participating in the BHR deal.”
/11 AFL’s investigation previously uncovered other evidence showing Hunter’s special access to then-U.S. Ambassador Baucus.
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12/24/2024
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Once again the so called Tin Hats were right, and the MSM is again shown to be controlled by the DC Swamp.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are engaged in fierce battles in most areas,
The Russians are most actively advancing in the Pokrovsky direction. There are currently 10 fierce battles taking place there.
Since the beginning of the current day, the total number of combat clashes on the front line has increased to 164. The battles are being conducted in 11 directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00 on Monday, December 23.
Thus, three combat clashes took place in the Kharkov direction . An attack by Russians in the Volchansk area was repelled, and two more combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, five assaults by the invaders near Kondrashovka, Petrovpavlovka, Kolesnikovka, Lozovaya and Boguslavka have been stopped. Another seven battles are still ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the enemy attacked 17 times in the areas of Grekovka, Novoyegorovka, Zeleny Gai, Novaya Kruglyakovka, Tverdokhlebovo, Nadezhda, Novosergeevka, Terny and Ivanovka. Six combat clashes are still unfinished.
In the Seversky direction, our defenders repelled eight enemy assaults in the area of Belogorovka and Grigorovka. Five combat clashes continue.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy stormed the area of Stupochki, Chasovy Yar and Predtechino seven times. Two more combat clashes remain unfinished.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked 13 times near Dilievka, Dachnoye, Belaya Gora, Shcherbinovka and Toretsk. Six combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, in the areas of the settlements of Mirolyubovka, Dachenskoye, Novy Trud, Novotroitskoye, Zelenoe, Novoelizavetovka, Novoyelenovka, Novopustynka and Uspenovka, the enemy has already attacked 21 times since the beginning of the day. 11 attacks have been repelled. Fierce fighting is underway.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, seven enemy assaults have been stopped in the areas of the settlements of Kurakhovo, Petrovpavlovka, Solntsevka, Starye Terny and Andreyevka. Eleven combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Vremevsky direction, seven out of 18 Russian assaults continue near Novodarovka, Dachnoye, Konstantinopolskoye, Konstantinopol, Razliv, Razdolnoye, Novy Komar and Novosyolka.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, our defenders repelled one enemy assault in the Belogorye region.
In the Orekhov direction the enemy attacked unsuccessfully four times.
The General Staff does not provide information on the number of battles in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. However, it is noted that the Russians carried out 237 attacks on the territory of the Kursk region, including 24 from multiple launch rocket systems.
Let us recall that on December 22, Russia lost about two thousand soldiers at the front . The total number of losses of the aggressor country is approaching 800 thousand killed and wounded.
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov region, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on armed formations of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Borshchevaya and Lebedevka (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 troops, two motor vehicles, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one assault brigade and four mechanised brigades of the AFU near Kopanki, Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo, Zeleny Gai (Kharkov region), Novoyegorovka (Lugansk People's Republic), and Terni (Donetsk People's Republic).
Seven counter-attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to more than 400 troops, six motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, three U.S.-made 105mm M-119 guns, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, one 122mm D-30 howitzer. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanised brigades, one assault brigade, and one airmobile brigade of the AFU near Druzkovka, Konstantinovka, Chasov Yar, Artem, and Kurakhovo (Donetsk People's Republic). One counter-attack launched by an AFU assault detachment was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 400 troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, one U.S.-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, two pickup trucks, one 152mm D-20 gun, one 122mm D-30 howitzer, and two UK-made 105mm L-119 guns.
Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one motorised infantry brigade, one infantry brigade, seven mechanised brigades of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade near Dzerzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Lysovka, Shevchenko, Dachenskoye, Novoolenovka, and Novotroitskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Thirteen counter-attacks launched by AFU armed formations were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to up to 610 troops, two tanks, one infantry fighting vehicle, one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, three armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made MaxxPro and two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152mm D-20 gun, two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Storozhevoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on formations of one motorised infantry brigade, two mechanised brigades of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Razdolnoye, Razliv (Donetsk People's Republic), and Gulai Pole (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 155 troops, four motor vehicles, one French-made 155mm CAESAR self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one electronic warfare station.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one infantry brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Novoandreyevka, Lobkovoye, Nesteryanka (Zaporozhye region), Mikhaylovka (Kherson region). One counterattack of the enemy's assault detachment was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 45 troops, three motor vehicles, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one electronic warfare station.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, attack UAV depots, as well as engaged manpower and hardware clusters of the enemy in 143 areas.
Air defence units shot down 14 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 38,355 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,961 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,504 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,953 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,452 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, five mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, four territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Aleksandriya, Viktorovka, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolskoye, Novaya Sorochina, Russkoye Porechnoye, Sverdlikovo, and Cherkasskaya Konopelka. Two counterattacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Zaoleshenka, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Mikhaylovka, Nikolsky, Staraya Sorochina as well as Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, and Zhuravka.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 300 troops, two tanks, including one U.S.-made Abrams tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, namely, one U.S.-made Bradley, one German-made Marder, and one Swedish-made CV-90, three armoured fighting vehicles, namely, one U.S.-made Stryker and two M113, three armoured fighting vehicles, one artillery gun, four mortars, one U.S.-made M88 armoured recovery vehicle, and eight motor vehicles.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 43,310 troops, 253 tanks, 194 infantry fighting vehicles, 135 armoured personnel carriers, 1,315 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,174 motor vehicles, 324 artillery guns, 42 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 79 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 28 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, seven armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
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.
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[GenesiusTimes] … wasn’t a straight white male
Montgomery attorney Melissa Issak won a "not guilty" jury verdict for her client, who she referred to as "Matthew," on the Class A misdemeanor charge of "knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority." He had been charged in the 
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..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
