Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2025
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#1
Either a dancer or more recently tased? I go with dancer
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025 16:00
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#2
Bubbles, ou, Le pic trans?
"Where Italians once held 'little balls'
And le ballet was danced by royal Gauls...
Cue two tutued trannies
With cute, manly fannies!"
Coo Democrats playing with dolls.
[IsraelTimes] Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag reunite with parents; Israel cancels planned return of Gazans to north, demands civilian Arbel Yehud’s release be arranged
Four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag — were released by the terror group on Saturday after being paraded through a 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... City square before being handed over to the Red Thingy.
Having walked calmly with their captors to the stage, the four smiled and waved to the large crowd that Hamas had assembled in the square.
The release marked the second set of hostages to be freed under the current ceasefire-hostage release deal. Israel was later to free 200 Paleostinian security prisoners, including dozens serving life sentences for murder and terror.
Crowds of Paleostinians gathered early in the morning in the same central square in Gaza City where Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released last week.
The chaotic scenes of that release were not repeated, with Saturday’s handover heavily stage-managed by Hamas.
Dozens of armed and masked Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... button men formed a cordon around a stage that had been set up in the square. A drone could be seen distributing candy to members of the crowd.
After the arrival of the Red Thingy transport, the four hostages were brought into the square in separate vehicles. Dressed in olive garb meant to look like IDF uniforms and clutching "gift bags" from Hamas, the young women were marched onto a stage festooned with English and Arabic slogans such as "Paleostine: The victory of the oppressed people vs the Nazi Zionism."
A large sign in Hebrew also read, "Zionism will not win."
All four women appeared in good physical condition as they went up on stage, holding hands, waving to the crowd and smiling before being escorted by masked button men into the waiting Red Thingy vehicles. (According to Israel’s Health Ministry, freed hostages were drugged by Hamas to appear "happy" in previous releases.)
The four women’s appearance Saturday was in stark contrast to the images of the young soldiers seen after they were captured on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led bandidosholy warriors stormed their Nahal Oz military base. Bloodied and frightened, they were dragged into Gaza in their pajamas.
After their release, Ariev, 20, Gilboa, 20, Levy, 20 and Albag, 19, were handed over by the Red Thingy to IDF special forces who escorted them across the border, back home into Israel, and to the Re’im IDF facility. There, they were reunited with their families and underwent a brief medical check.
"They are in safe hands and on their way home," IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
HAMAS PROPAGANDA
On Saturday afternoon Hamas published a propaganda video showing the release. In the video, Hamas gave each of the hostages a "prisoner release form," along with a framed certificate and a keychain with the Paleostinian flag.
The hostages were also forced to wear badges with their personal details, attached to a lanyard with a Paleostinian flag pattern.
The four young women were seen thanking Hamas in Arabic for their treatment — in statements that were almost certainly coerced — before they were taken to the packed square in Gaza City where they were handed over to the Red Thingy.
Hagari slammed Hamas for the staged ceremonial handover.
"Hamas is a murderous terror group. In the last few hours, Hamas proved its cruelty by organizing a cynical ceremony," he said, adding that Hamas "presented a misrepresentation of treatment and care for the hostages, while in reality, it is cruelly holding for 477 days innocent civilians."
"The mission will not end until all of them return to Israel," he added.
TEARS OF JOY
The military said that the four were checked by army doctors when they were handed over to the IDF by the Red Thingy inside Gaza and were in relatively good physical condition.
"Their medical condition is normal, with no findings that require special [emergency] medical intervention on the ground," officials said. They will undergo further assessments by doctors and mental health officers at an army base near the border, before being taken to a hospital.
Video showed their families at the IDF facility near Re’im clapping, cheering and crying with joy as they watched their loved ones emerge from the Hamas vehicles.
Hundreds of people gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, viewing a livestream of the release while friends and families of the four watched from their homes.
VIOLATING THE DEAL
Hagari said Hamas violated the hostage agreement with the release of the four female soldiers before releasing all civilian women. "Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first," he said.
Hagari said Israel will make sure that civilian hostage Arbel Yehud, who Israel believes to be alive, is released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her children, adding, "We have heavy concerns for their fate."
He said Israel expects more information on the Bibas family soon.
Hagari also said the military is "committed to the return of Agam Berger, another surveillance soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and all the other hostages.
The five are among seven female soldiers kidnapped from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.
One of the kidnapped surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
Following the return of the four soldiers to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that due to Hamas not standing by its obligation to release Yehud, Israel would delay allowing Paleostinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip.
"Israel has received four female hostage soldiers from the Hamas terrorist group today, and in return will release security prisoners" according to the deal, the PMO said.
"In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow the passage of Gazooks to the north of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, can be arranged," the statement added.
The decision was reportedly made during security consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday night, soon after Hamas had released the names of the four female soldiers it was freeing, but announced after the releases so as not to jeopardize them.
The announcement means that, as things stand, the IDF will not be withdrawing from part of the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday.
Under the deal, Israel was set to withdraw from the northern half of the corridor on day seven of the ceasefire to allow Paleostinians to return to north Gaza via the coastal road.
Israel had conveyed to Hamas that it expected Yehud — who is thought to be held by fellow terror group Paleostinian Islamic Jihad — to be released this weekend. However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... she was not named by Hamas on Friday. Yehud had been on the list to be released in the only previous hostage-truce deal, in November 2023, but the deal collapsed before the final scheduled group of releases.
Hamas is expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the 26 remaining hostages on the list later Saturday or Sunday, providing long-sought specifics on which hostages are alive. There was concern in Jerusalem, however, that Hamas might merely provide an overall number of how many of the 26 are alive.
TERRORISTS TO BE FREED AND DEPORTED
Following the release of the hostages on Saturday, Israel freed another batch of Paleostinian security prisoners, some 200, 121 of whom were serving life sentences for attacks that killed dozens of Israelis.
Hamas’s list of life-term prisoners showed that 70 of them were to be exiled. Egyptian media reported that Israel had delivered them to Egypt via Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing.
Terrorists released included Mohammad Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, both from East Jerusalem. They were incarcerated Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! for carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks against Israelis, including a bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2002 that killed nine people, including five US citizens.
It is believed that 87 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.
[IsraelTimes] Female soldiers tell family and friends about periods with no food, cleaning toilets for terrorists, months without showers, seeing TV news of protests on their behalf.
[IsraelTimes] Lawmakers rage at call between Abbas and Fatah prisoner Yasser Abu-Bakr who was serving multiple life sentences, warn that PA cannot be given role in managing post-war Gaza
Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> made a congratulatory phone call on Saturday to a Paleostinian terrorist who was released as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... despite having been sentenced to a cumulative 115 years back in 2004.
The phone call drew outrage from Israeli politicians, who pointed to it as proof that under Abbas, the PA was not fit to play a role in the governing of postwar 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... A video carried out by Paleostinian news outlets showed Fatah prisoner Yasser Abu-Bakr taking a call from Abbas after his release.
A native of the West Bank’s Jenin, Abu-Bakr was sentenced in 2004 to a cumulative 115 years in jail for arming a terror cell that shot up a Netanya hotel lobby in March 2002, wounding some 50 people and killing a nine-year-old girl. The cell’s members also killed two coppers and a civilian bystander in subsequent shootouts.
According to reports on social media, Abu-Bakr rebuffed Abbas’s well-wishes and told him that the congratulations were out of place given the high corpse count in the Gaza Strip after 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the October 7, 2023 terror assault in southern Israel.
The PA president’s call to the convicted terrorist prompted an outpouring of rage from Israeli politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who declared that Abbas "was and is an enemy" of Israel.
"Mahmoud Abbas was and is an enemy, a terror supporter, a promoter of terror, and the authority he heads was and is a terrorist organization, and is not a ’partner’ to anything," the far-right Religious Zionism chair said, referring to calls within Israeli society for Israel to allow the PA to govern the Gaza Strip in place of Hamas.
"His phone call tonight to a Jew-murderer is a wake-up call to those who still delude themselves about the PA being an alternative to Hamas in Gaza after the war. It won’t happen. Not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich said, using the Biblical terms for the West Bank.
Israel has attempted to downplay reports in recent weeks that the PA will play a significant role in postwar Gaza, and that it will be allowed to take control of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt in future phases of the ceasefire deal.
While the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially denied the veracity of the reports, it has admitted that the PA currently plays a limited role at the crossing, providing the stamp on passports allowing Gazooks to exit the Strip.
Netanyahu has publicly refused to entertain the idea of the PA ruling postwar Gaza, accusing it of glorifying terror and supporting the October 7 attack. Yet many in the Israeli security establishment have privately backed such a move due to the lack of any other viable alternative.
Posted by: 3dc ||
01/26/2025
12:57 ||
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#1
Not happy with this but could be a huge oppotunity for deals. Columbia has a very low GDP per person (cheap labor) but they are highly educated and skilled. They are where Mexico was some 20-30 years ago and can make low end items in low-medium added value (see ore into refined raw metal and such) and then ship that to Mexico/US for assembly into higher value added products. Aaaaand we have a free trade agreement with them. Maybe slip a few billion from venture capitalists to build up infrastructure that are encouraged by tax breaks and that can help decouple from China even more
#4
Ha. Colombia is playing soccer and we're playing baseball, with Nolan Ryan pitching.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/26/2025 14:05
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#5
Closing the visa section (as the article states) is not the same as closing the embassy. Don't get me wrong - glad we did it and should do it more places.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
01/26/2025 14:14
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#6
Oi! Who will buy my coffee beans?
Posted by: Juan Valdez ||
01/26/2025 14:44
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#8
BREAKING: Following retaliatory measures announced by President Donald Trump Colombian President Gustavo Petro now is offering his presidential plane to help repatriate deportees
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025 16:43
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#9
That was quick?
🚨 BREAKING: Following retaliatory measures announced by President Donald Trump Colombian President Gustavo Petro now is offering his presidential plane to help repatriate deportees pic.twitter.com/Mcei5f1lUi
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025 17:05
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#12
The threat was more than just closing the embassy visa section. Red State collected the entire sequence here, including President Trump’s epic 1000-word image posted in response to the capitulation. Just keep scrolling down.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump has ramped up his mass deportation crackdown on Saturday as he focused ICE's efforts on Los Angeles.
Illegal migrants in the sanctuary city were reportedly rounded up in a sweep of early morning raids, a day after Trump visited the area to survey wildfire devastation.
Arrested migrants were held at ICE detention centers in California, which were expected to fill up so quickly due to Trump's raids that federal agents have been scouting for more detention spaces, the New York Post reported.
Sources told the outlet that ICE agents are expected to continue sweeping Los Angeles seven days a week, but have avoided areas of the city that were destroyed by recent wildfires.
On Friday, ICE announced in its daily update that it had arrested 593 criminals and lodged 449 detainer requests, which require law enforcement to hold illegal migrants until ICE can pick them up.
The agency posted on X late Saturday that it arrested 286 illegal migrants and lodged 421 detainers. It is not yet clear how many people of these arrests were from that day's raids in Los Angeles.
The raids in Los Angeles come as Trump has forged ahead with his pledge to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in US history in his first week back in power, arresting well over 2,000 people since his inauguration on Monday.
On Friday, a senior official in the Trump administration revealed exclusive deportation and detainment data with DailyMail.com, including chilling details of dangerous criminals that were previously walking the streets freely.
Almost 5,000 Homeland Security and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers have been deployed by the Trump administration to carry out raids, particularly targeting sanctuary cities where dangerous criminals were previously unable to be tracked by ICE under weak Biden-era immigration policies.
Among the worst of the worst to be picked up by ICE on Friday included Cesar Augusto Polanco, 59, a Dominican Republican national who was living free in Boston despite a criminal conviction for second-degree murder.
Like many others in the unmasked deportation list, Mendoza-Garcia was initially arrested during the Biden administration in October 2023, but was merely handed a notice to appear and released into society - and lived free for over a year until he was taken into custody this week.
In New York, where buses and flights of migrants under Biden's administration topped over 10,000 people at their peak, a number of raids led to arrests of known gang members and criminals.
Jose Tito Reyes, 54, a citizen of El Salvador, was picked up on Friday by ICE and was found to have a previous conviction for forcible touching, receiving a sentence of 90 days imprisonment and 3 years' probation.
ICE in New Orleans snared Juan Miseal Canales-Garcia, another El Salvador citizen who had a previous conviction of robbery and kidnapping.
Mexican national Edgar Rivas-Rodriguez was also detained in Chicago, as he was walking the streets despite past convictions for possession of methamphetamine and leaving the scene of an accident-causing injury.
Just like Mendoza-Garcia, a wave of suspected members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang have been arrested this week - with the gang known to have gained a foothold in the United States in recent years.
[ET via Zero] Dr. Eben Alexander was at the height of his career as a neurosurgeon. With a doctorate in medicine from Duke University and a residency from Harvard, he believed he understood consciousness and the brain. However, on Nov. 10, 2008, a rare and severe bacterial infection attacked his brain, challenging everything he thought he knew.
He fell into a coma and, seven days later, awakened with a complete physical recovery. Yet, while asleep, his mind was not idle. He recalls that his consciousness had gone to another dimension—a place furnished with clouds, shimmering beings, and ethereal sceneries.
"I was in a place of clouds. Big, puffy, pink-white ones that showed up sharply against the deep blue-black sky. Higher than the clouds—immeasurably higher—flocks of transparent orbs, shimmering beings arced across the sky, leaving long, streamer-like lines behind them," Alexander wrote in his book, "A Proof of Heaven."
"I witnessed all of that realm in all of its majesty," Alexander recounted during an interview with The Epoch Times. "Though I didn’t know where I was or even what I was, I was absolutely sure of one thing: This place I’d suddenly found myself in was completely real," he said.
Similarly, Dr. Sam Parnia, a medical doctor and research scientist, observed that seven percent of resuscitated patients recounted visits to an unearthly dimension during their near-death experience (NDE)—an experience people sometimes have on the precipice of death and may remember after recovery. Further, Dr. Pim van Lommel, a cardiologist from the Netherlands, reported that 29 percent of people with NDEs describe entering a vast, beautiful realm beyond our physical reality.
#3
Somehow these higher dimensional NDEs never include learning what the next winning lottery number will be, in time enough to win. Now THAT would be something.
[AmericanThinker] In his first term in office, President Trump apparently thought he could operate as if the federal government were a corporation he headed as Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He assumed those beneath him would give him honest counsel, would perform their assigned duties, and follow his directives. He learned otherwise.
All the steps he took the first week after beginning his astonishing second term are those a wise CEO and commander in chief must take to do the job he promised and was elected to do. The scope and speed of his actions are nothing short of breathtaking: Pardoning and commuting over 1000 January 6th prisoners, issuing a slew of executive orders (go to Whitehouse.gov for the current listing), personnel shakeups, and demonstrating real leadership in North Carolina and California to help the victims of flood and fire, ill served by state and federal officials.
The domestic performance is matched by his steps on international matters.
The Fall of Davos? The once-mighty World Economic Forum is crumbling. Reports from #WEF25 in Davos show half-empty halls, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressing a sparse audience. Even the so-called "luxury" callgirl business is down 60% compared to last year. One attendee called it: “The last meeting of the Soviets in 1991.” The veneer of power and influence surrounding Klaus Schwab and his globalist cronies is wearing thin. As their lunatic fringe agendas face mounting scrutiny, it seems the world is finally waking up to their destructive plans. People are turning away from the WEF and its sinister grip on global politics. Is this the beginning of the end for Schwab and his dream of a 'Great Reset'?
Argentina’s Javier Milei accurately describes the new global alliance -- and neither France, nor the UK, nor the EU are part of this forward-moving alliance:
Argentina President Javier Milei announced there is a global alliance of anti-woke leaders, including himself and President Donald Trump, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Elon Musk, Hungary PM Viktor Orban, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A Texas teacher sparked outrage after urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to target his own students because they 'don't even speak English'.
The teacher, who goes by @HookEm232 on X but has not been identified by officials, sparked an investigation from the Fort Worth Independent School District following his social media posts.
The educator responded to a daily update from ICE announcing how many arrests and detainers the agency had made against illegal immigrants amid President Trump's crackdown on his first week back in power.
'Yall should come to Fort Worth, TX to Northside High School,' he wrote. 'I have many students who don't even speak English and they are in 10th-11th grade.
'They have to communicate through their iPhone translator with me. The (Department of Education) should totally overhaul our school system in Texas too.'
In another post from his account, the teacher responded to a tweet highlighting a North Carolina teacher who vowed to combat Trump's anti-DEI executive orders this week.
'I teach these f****** libtards every day and that's what I talk to no one at work except the kids,' he responded.
The teacher's inflammatory posts against his own students came after a directive from Trump's administration that allows ICE agents to raid 'sensitive areas'.
This includes hospitals, schools and churches.
Within hours of the X posts coming to light, Fort Worth Independent School District Board President Roxanne Martinez said in a statement the district was launching an investigation.
'We are aware of a recent social media post referencing North Side High School which was allegedly made by a substitute teacher and has caused concern among out Fort Worth ISD community,' the statement read.
'We take this matter very seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances and ensure appropriate actions are taken.
'As per district protocol, the employee will not be on campus during the investigation. We are committed to maintaining a positive and supportive environment for all students.'
[John Kass] The Department of Education–a boon to the national teacher unions–was not about education as much as it was about spreading excuses and isms and critical race theory. Education was ignored in exchange for politics and tribalism.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025
02:41 ||
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#2
It will be interesting to see what Kamala does post divorce. Sonny Hostin has always sort of been a Great Value version of Michelle.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 9:32
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#3
^ LOL....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025 10:17
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#4
Dept of Education and the Dept of Health and Human Services were created in 1980. Their functions were previously in the Dept of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW).
Given that the Constitution doesn't mention Education as part of the Federal Government, there has always been a current that thinks these activities are unconstitutional. However, since the Commerce clause of the Constitution has been stretched and stretched, no serious challenges have been undertaken to challenge the constitutionality of the Federal Govt's role in Education.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/26/2025 10:57
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#5
Given that the Constitution doesn't mention Education as part of the Federal Government, there has always been a political current that thinks these activities are unconstitutional mandatory. FIFY
[ZeroHedge] Recently pardoned Hunter Biden has once again found himself at the center of controversy, as newly surfaced bank records and corporate documents indicate that a shared bank account linked to the future first son was used in a fraudulent bond transaction tied to Burnham Asset Management. The firm was involved in a million-dollar securities fraud that saw two of Biden’s business partners arrested and convicted - while Hunter escaped accountability, Just the News reports. Please keep digging.
Huntr's former business partners, Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, were convicted for their roles in a scheme that defrauded an Oglala Sioux Native American tribal entity of tens of millions of dollars. Federal authorities found that instead of investing the funds as promised, Archer, Galanis, and their associates misappropriated the bond proceeds.
While Archer and Galanis faced prosecution, Hunter quickly faded into the bushes, telling lawmakers in his impeachment inquiry deposition that his proposed role in the company "never came to fruition." However, bank records and a signature analysis reveal that Biden was more entangled with the firm than he has publicly acknowledged.
A SHARED BANK ACCOUNT USED IN THE SCHEME
Records show that a bank account linked to Biden and Archer - Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC (RSB) - was directly involved in the fraudulent bond transaction. According to a source close to the transaction, the bonds were transferred to and from the RSB account, possibly to capitalize on the Biden name - a pattern consistent with House Republican claims that Hunter Biden leveraged his last name for lucrative deals.
#1
Given the Biden, blanket pardons issued to people for undisclosed crimes and deeds.
It is clear the pardon process needs to be fine-tuned a little, to prohibit unethical personal use and application.
At the very least, requiring what specific crimes and incidents the person committed.
Because currently, Pardons could very well cover Crimes and deeds that might include:
* mass murder,
* child sex trafficking,
* Rape,
* False imprisonment of personal or political rivals,
* $$ Millions in Tax evasion.
* Paid Subversion & Treason for hire by family.
* and more.
[ZeroHedge] Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which rules Syria from Damascus under Jolani, is still a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization under US law. The only change which happened at the end of the Biden administration was that the US $10 million bounty on Jolani's head was removed, at a moment Western officials have engaged the new regime in Damascus on a diplomatic level.
But The Washington Post has just revealed that American intelligence officials met with HTS representatives and passed them classified intelligence information. This happened during the tail-end of the Biden White House.
The Washington Post report begins, "In the chaotic days after the fall of [Bashar] al-Assad, the Biden administration began to engage cautiously with HTS and its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani."
"The intelligence exchange with HTS has occurred in direct encounters between US intelligence officials and representatives of HTS, rather than via third parties." The Post continues.
The report adds that this "has involved exchanges between the two sides, in Syria and a third country. It began roughly two weeks after HTS came to power on Dec. 8."
This is being presented by US officials as to combat threats being presented by a resurgent ISIS. For example, there have been recent reported plots against a key Shia religious pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Damascus, the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque.
"In at least one case, the U.S. intelligence helped thwart an ISIS plot to attack a religious shrine outside Damascus earlier this month, according to the officials," the WaPo report says.
The serious contradiction in all of this is that American companies and citizens are still unable to do business or any interactions with Syrian entities under US counterterrorism laws and due to the long-existent sanctions. And yet, US intelligence is passing on classified information to Syrian leaders despite the terror designation and ongoing sanctions. To an ongoing intelligence collection effort, a "contradiction" is simply an opportunity.
The other glaring contradiction is that the separation between HTS and ISIS ideology is thin and slim. Jolani himself was once the personal emissary of ISIS chief pf Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the early days of the anti-Assad war for regime change.
We've documented previously that in some cases ISIS fighters have simply changed out their black flag patch for a HTS logo: Watch: Syrian 'Moderate Rebel' Removes ISIS Patch At Prompting Of American Journalist.
Foreign fighters have also continued to thrive in post-Assad Syria, with reports of global jihadists terrorizing and pressuring Christians, Alawites, and Druze - most often in the countryside and far away from international media cameras. The US State Department in the early years of the Syrian war acknowledged that tens of thousands of foreign jihadists poured across the borders of Iraq, Jordan, and Iraq to fight Assad forces.
[MAIL] A top spy chief has issued a chilling warning to Donald Trump, cautioning him over Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as Director of National Intelligence.
Former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in Britain, Sir John Sawers, described Gabbard's possible ascension to the top espionage post as 'difficult', and said there appears to be no 'overall global plan' behind Trump's pick.
'I think senators have got a lot of responsibility to ensure that only people who are suited to top jobs get through to them, especially those in the most sensitive areas,' Sawers told CNN on Saturday.
'The United States is the most powerful intelligence community in the world, and one of its biggest challenges is Russia, and another (of its) biggest challenges is China.'
The spy chief raised concerns over Gabbard's 'pro-Russian' positions through her career, with critics also pointing to her past remarks on former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad as 'not an enemy' after she controversially met with him in 2017.
'To have someone who's a director of national intelligence who basically takes a very pro-Russian approach, well, that strikes me as very difficult, and it makes it difficult for America's partners as well,' Sawers continued.
#2
That would be the MI6 that employed Christopher Steele and helped build the Russian Dossier hoax? Excuse me if I think Trump won't take this asshole's advice
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025 9:55
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#3
The war hawks intend to tank Tulsi if they think they can get away with it. She was certainly right about our Syrian involvement likely ending like our foray in Libya.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 10:01
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#5
I'll admit I'm ambivalent about her politics (anti-2A, then flip flopped, the whole Assad thing) but her other attributes means I'll give her a chance to show her stuff.
[BBC] Thirteen soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed in clashes with rebels from the M23 group.
The South African military said nine of its soldiers died helping to push back a rebel advance on the city of Goma, in eastern DR Congo, while three Malawians and a Uruguayan were also killed.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to the leaders of both DR Congo and Rwanda amid global calls for the violence to end.
The United Nations is pulling all non-essential staff out of Goma – a city of more than one million people – as the fighting intensifies.
A UN Security Council meeting about the deadly clashes, originally set for Monday, has been moved to Sunday due to the escalating conflict.
The M23 group has called on Congolese troops in Goma to surrender in order to avoid bloodshed. While DR Congo has severed diplomatic ties with neighbouring Rwanda, accusing the country of being behind the rebellion.
The move comes after M23 fighters killed a Congolese military governor who was visiting the frontline on Thursday. Earlier in January, they captured the key eastern Congolese towns of Minova and Masisi.
Macron called for an end to the fighting in separate calls with the leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda on Saturday, his office said.
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the M23 to halt its advance and condemned Rwanda's support for the group, the AFP news agency reports.
Further condemnation came from Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union's mediator between Rwanda and DR Congo, who denounced "irresponsible actions by the M23 and its supporters" and called for the "immediate cessation" of fighting to preserve civilian lives, according to the AFP news agency.
Fighting between the M23 and DR Congo's army has intensified since the start of the year, with the rebels seizing control of more territory than ever.
The conflict has already led more than 400,000 people to flee their homes this year, according to the UN.
Local leaders last week said more than 200 civilians had been killed in areas captured by the M23, with hospitals in Goma treating hundreds of patients.
#6
Any bets if the Globalists, Liberals, Socialists and Democrats are already in the process of:
* Looking at possible protest movement's names like "KEEP GREENLAND GREEN".
* Looking at the protest movement's potential ROI.
* Seeking Funds for the protest process.
* Interviewing & selecting the best Camera Faces.
* Developing protest movement key phrase banners and signage.
* Pre-briefing MSM for agenda overage.
* Passing it by celebrities and TV episode scriptwriters.
* Are on campuses selling it to build protest groups.
* and seeking out the usual Political & career protesting malcontents?
[BBC] In the shadow of a vast crucifix, labourers and construction workers in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez are building a small city of their own. A tent city.
On the old fairgrounds, beneath an altar constructed for a mass by Pope Francis in 2016, the Mexican government is preparing for thousands of deportees they expect to arrive from the United States in the coming weeks.
Juarez is one of eight border locations along the 3,000-kilometre-long (1,900 miles) border where Mexico is getting ready for the anticipated influx.
As well as protection from the elements, the deportees will receive food, medical care, and assistance in obtaining Mexican identity documents, under a deportee-support programme which President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration calls "Mexico Embraces You".
"Mexico will do everything necessary to care for its compatriots and will allocate whatever is necessary to receive those who are repatriated," said the Mexican Interior Minister, Rosa Icela Rodriguez, on the day of Trump's inauguration.
For her part, President Sheinbaum has stressed her government will first attend to the humanitarian needs of those returning, saying they will qualify for her government's social programmes and pensions, and will immediately be eligible to work.
She urged Mexicans to "remain calm and keep a cool head" about relations with President Trump and his administration more broadly – from deportations to the threat of tariffs.
"With Mexico, I think we are going very well," said President Trump in a video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. The two neighbours may yet find a workable solution on immigration which is acceptable to both – President Sheinbaum has said the key is dialogue and keeping the channels of communication open.
Undoubtedly, though, she recognises the potential stress President Trump's declaration of an emergency at the US border could place on Mexico.
An estimated 5 million undocumented Mexicans currently live in the United States and the prospect of a mass return could quickly saturate and overwhelm border cities like Juarez and Tijuana.
It's an issue which worries Jose Maria Garcia Lara, the director of the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana. As he shows me around the facility, which is already nearing its capacity, he says there are very few places he can fit more families.
"If we have to, we can maybe put some people in the kitchen or the library," he says.
There comes a point, though, where there simply isn't any space left – and donations of food, medical supplies, blankets and hygiene products will be stretched too thin.
"We're being hit on two fronts. Firstly, the arrival of Mexicans and other migrants who are fleeing violence," says Mr Garcia.
"But also, we'll have the mass deportations. We don't know how many people will come across the border needing our help. Together, these two things could create a huge problem."
Furthermore, another key part of Mr Trump's executive orders includes a policy called "Remain in Mexico" under which immigrants awaiting dates to make their asylum cases in a US immigration court would have to stay in Mexico ahead of those appointments.
When "Remain in Mexico" was previously in place, during Trump's first term and under the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico, Mexican border towns struggled to cope.
Human rights groups also repeatedly denounced the risks the migrants were being exposed to by being forced to wait in dangerous cities where drug cartel-related crime is rife.
This time around, Sheinbaum has made it clear that Mexico has not agreed to the plan and won't accept any non-Mexican asylum seekers from the US as they wait for their asylum hearings. Clearly, "Remain in Mexico" only works if Mexico is willing to comply with it. So far, it has drawn a line.
#2
The cartels will run the camps. The result will be further trafficking.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 9:51
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#3
further trafficking.
But hopefully no longer north into the U.S. Also, it will make a nice starting point when our Special Forces start hunting the terrorist narco gangs — so much less disturbing for the locals than banging on their own doors, right?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:15 In the Liman direction, in the last two weeks, Russian troops have managed to expand the bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River in the Makeyevka area, occupying a forest belt on the approaches to the dominant height 185.3 and driving the enemy out of the fortified area to the north, –map.
In Terny, fighting is taking place on the southern outskirts, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using armored vehicles to shell Russian positions. Russian troops continue to attack in the direction of Kolodezi from Ivanovka on the right bank of the Zherebets
In this area, the Russian Armed Forces have recently managed to advance several kilometers in a westerly direction, repelling at least four attacks by Ukrainian forces in the direction of Ivanovka.
19:25 Captured serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told, how he surrendered to Russian attack aircraft after his first combat sortie
Prisoner of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Shcherba avoided military service for a long time, hid in his dacha or went to other regions to visit relatives, but he still could not avoid forced conscription. After a month of training, he was sent to the front lines.
18:21 Cache with foreign weapons discovered at the former positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdeevka.
As a result of joint operational and combat activities of the FSB Directorate of the Russian Federation for the DPR and the military counterintelligence agencies of the Central Military District, a cache of foreign weapons prepared by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during their retreat for further use in sabotage and terrorist purposes was discovered near the city of Avdeevka liberated from the Ukrainian Nazis.
18:20 A machine gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was burned in the Vovchansk direction, –video.
17:10 Over the past two weeks, the Russian Armed Forces have achieved success in the central and western sections of the Pokrovsk-Mirnograd direction: the villages of Peschanoye, Zelenoye and Kotlino have been liberated, and the T-04-06 highway, which is important for supplying the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has been cut off, –map.
16:45 Russian quadcopter operators destroyed an enemy BMP-1, a pickup truck and some Ukrainian infantry in the Khar'kov region, –video.
16:20 Tank crews are narrowing the ring in the Pokrovsky direction, –video.
The footage shows a series of successful strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strongholds, as well as on logistics arteries.
15:20 Around 14:10 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Belgorod region
15:00 Stormtroopers are working off river crossing
The servicemen of the assault units of the Dnepr group of troops meticulously practice all the elements for forcing a water obstacle in small groups. The training program is close to the conditions of combat operations - TNT blocks are detonated on their way, simulating the work of heavy artillery and mortars of the enemy.
14:55 Three civilians were killed as a result of artillery attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city of Oleshky in the Kherson region. This was reported by Governor of the Kherson region Volodymyr Saldo.
14:30 Around 13:20 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of Belgorod region
14:05 In the area of the railway station of the Sumy region, the Russian Armed Forces inflicted a ballistic strike.
A powerful blow was dealt to the railway station junction at the moment when enemy military forces were unloading yet another load of NATO equipment.
13:35 Destruction of the antitank missile launcher and UAV launcher of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by a missile strike in the area of the settlement of Zhuravka in the Kursk direction, –video.
According to a source, as a result of the strike, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost five units of automotive equipment and up to 20 Ukrainian ones.
12:55 The Russian Armed Forces have already liberated more than 65% of Velikaya Novoselka. The Russian flag has been raised over the city hospital, –video.
A small pocket in the southern part of the urban-type settlement has already been eliminated. The remnants of the enemy forces from the center have retreated to the northwestern outskirts. At the moment, the clearing of the urban-type settlement is continuing.
12:30 Air Defense Forces destroyed 11 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones over the Black Sea coast and the Republic of Crimea
11:15 The footage shows an American Abrams tank disabled by a direct hit from a Lancet loitering munition near the village of Viktorovka in the Kursk region.video.
10:42 Information on strikes carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod region
In the Belgorod district, 25 rounds of ammunition were fired at the settlement of Oktyabrsky, the villages of Zhuravlevka, Otradnoye, Solntsevka, Ustinka, Chaiki and Yasnye Zori during 3 attacks andcommitted10 drones attacked, six of which were shot down by the air defense system.
In the village of Oktyabrsky, a civilian was injured as a result of the detonation of ammunition. The man was hospitalized in the regional clinical hospital. All necessary assistance is being provided. Two private homes, a car, a commercial facility and a power line were damaged.
In the Borisovsky district, the villages of Bogun-Gorodok and Tsapovka were subjected to artillery attack using two rounds of ammunition and an attack by one UAV, which was shot down. There were no consequences.
Three drones were shot down over the Valuysky municipal district. No casualties or damage.
In Volokonovsky district, three artillery rounds were fired at the Stary farm. No consequences.
In the Grayvoronsky municipal district, the village of Bezymeno was shelled with five rounds of ammunition. There were no consequences.
In the Krasnoyarsk region, the village of Prilesye and the village of Grafovka were subjected to three attacks, during which 16 rounds of ammunition were fired, and attacks by two UAVs were recorded, one of which was shot down. There were no casualties or damage.
In the Shebekinsky municipal district, 12 rounds were fired at the city of Shebekino, the villages of Murom and Terezovka, the farms of Mukhin and Pankov, and nine drones were attacked and shot down. There were no consequences.
10:15 Our operators are working on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' starlinks, which provide them with communication with the command. Zaporizhzhya direction. On the approaches to the settlement of Malaya Tokmachka.
We work on the enemy’s communications constantly and continuously, disrupting his command and control of his troops, –video.
10:06 Frontline report for the morning of 25.01.2025, –cards.
Zaporizhzhya Front. No significant changes in LBS. Active use of kamikaze drones by the enemy is noted. Long-range weapons are in operation on both sides, battles in the direction continued to be mainly positional.
Donetsk Front. The Russian Armed Forces continue to storm Velyka Novosyolka. It is too early to talk about the complete liberation of the village, but footage has appeared of the arming of a flag on one of the buildings in the central part of the urban-type settlement.
Chasov Yar direction. Assault operations in Chasov Yar continue. There are advances of Russian troops from the southern side of the city.
Kursk Region. Russian troops continue to put pressure on the enemy's defense in several areas, but advances are made with great difficulty. The enemy continues to transfer reserves to the Kursk Region and conduct counterattacks in order to regain lost positions. Including using armored vehicles.
9:05 Superkam reconnaissance UAV crews of the motorized rifle brigade of the combined arms army of the West group of forces monitor the enemy and adjust the fire of artillery and tank units.
This time, the servicemen discovered camouflaged military equipment and temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The artillery destroyed the identified targets with precise strikes,video.
8:40 The Shaman detachment attacks the enemy near the town of Orekhov on the Zaporizhzhya front, –video.
The fighting continues in the Orekhovo direction. Drone operators of the Shaman unit of the 1455th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Army pass through electronic warfare and reach the enemy everywhere.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces thought that their electronic warfare systems could not be penetrated, but our soldiers’ attacks burn their military equipment and also leave them without communication equipment and drone control.
8:10 Kursk region. Old Sorochina. Advance of the Russian army.
The Russian army advances along the flanks from Stara Sorochina over the past 24 hours. Our rapid attacks on BMD-4M and BTR-82 take the enemy by surprise.
We beat the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups with the help of Molniya drones.
We work in conditions of active enemy electronic warfare.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Archaeologists discovered a Dene (Athabascan) cache dating back about 1,000 years during summer excavations at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Alaska. This was reported by the Alaska Public Media portal.
The January 22 article noted that scientists initially believed the cache was no more than a few hundred years old, but radiocarbon dating proved otherwise.
According to archaeologist Margan Grover, many finds elsewhere in Alaska date back 14,000 years, but the find on the studied side of the bay turned out to be the oldest of all at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base site, 1,000 years.
The cache itself was about 3.5 feet (1 m) deep. The Indians lined it with birch bark to protect it from dirt and rodents. The site was close to water, so the researchers assumed that there would be remains of sea creatures, but soil samples showed tracks of a moose. Archaeologists plan to revisit the site, study the soil around the excavation site and determine whether the samples showed what kind of meat was in the cache or simply indicated what kind of mammals lived in the area.
Eklutna elders consulted by the researchers said that there was once a fishing camp at the site where the cache was found.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, last November in Mexico, scientists from the local National Institute of Anthropology and History discovered an underground portal to the afterlife that was used by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. Did they find their way back?
The Zapotec Indians who inhabited the territories adhered to polytheism, offering their prayers to the deities of the Sun, Moon, thunder, corn, fishing and many others. It is noted that the Zapotecs also performed human sacrifices, and at some temples even the remains of children were found. So they inspired modern day Democrats...
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Chairperson for Inspector generals has hit back at President Trump's mass firing of government watchdogs, claiming the move is 'not legally sufficient' in a strongly-worded letter.
Late Friday night, the newly-minted leader announced the firing of 17 Inspector Generals, sparking major concern on Capitol Hill.
The White House failed to publicly announce the bloodbath or provide any explanation for why it fired the officials who are tasked with evaluating federal departments on issues including the law and use of taxpayer money.
IGs for the departments of defense, state, transportation, veterans affairs, housing and urban development, interior and energy were all let go.
'It's a widespread massacre. Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system,' one of the unnamed fired agents told the Washington Post.
But soon after Hannibal 'Mike' Ware, Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, challenged the decision in a thinly-veiled threating letter.
Addressed to Sergio Gor, Head of the Presidential Personnel Office, Ware, wrote: 'I am writing in response to your email sent to me and other Inspectors General earlier this evening wherein you informed each of us that 'due to changing priorities, your position as Inspector General . . . is terminated, effective immediately.
'As Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), I recommend that you reach out to White House Counsel to discuss your intended course of action.
'At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.'
The January 24 document further cites the 2022 amendments to the Inspector General Act of 1978 - which state that the president must notify Congress 30 days prior to removing IGs.
According to the Post, Ware is one of the agents who was fired on Friday night.
Others include Michael Horowitz at the Justice Department who was an appointee of Obama and Mark Lee Greenblatt of the Department of the Interior.
Controversially, Joseph V. Cuffari Jr. of Homeland Security and a President Trump appointee was spared.
Last October, officials confirmed that Cuffari had misled the Senate during his nomination process and committed other misconduct during his five years in office.
Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers were left in disarray and said that the President may have broken a federal law requiring Congress to be given 30-day notice of such firings, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Earlier on Saturday, Democrats from 21 House committees signed a joint letter to defend the independence of the watchdogs and pointed out that removing them without notifying Congress violates the law.
'Firing inspectors general without due cause is antithetical to good government, undermines the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and degrades the federal government's ability to function effectively and efficiently,' the letter reads.
'We urge you to withdraw your unlawful action and comply with your obligations to the American people.'
Senator Elizabeth Warren also took to X to criticize the judgement, claiming President Trump was 'paving the way for corruption'.
'It's a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night. Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct.
'President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption,' she wrote.
Ronald Reagan fired all existing IGs when he took office in 1981, but he later reinstated half of them following an intense backlash.
An inspector general is an independent position that conducts audits, investigations and inspectors into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse.
They can be removed by the president or the agency head, depending on who nominated or appointed them.
While the politically-appointed leaders of agencies and departments come and go with each administration, an IG can stay and serve under multiple presidents.
Some inspectors general are presidential appointees, while others are designated by the heads of their agencies.
They serve indefinite terms and typically span administrations to insulate them from shifts in political winds.
A president can remove them but must notify both chambers of Congress in advance.
#2
Good move; "They serve indefinite terms and typically span administrations to insulate them from shifts in political winds." A big part of the swamp.
#6
Their entire purpose is the address fraud, waste and abuse in the different departments of the executive branch. We just went through the Biden Administration without any evidence of them doing anything substantive. Give them 30 days of pay as a parting gift, but those folks need to be gone. Note- Whichever one of them was in charge of monitoring Buttigieg ought to be physically tossed into a McDonalds dumpster.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 9:25
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#7
We just went through the Biden Administration without any evidence of them doing anything substantive.
#8
We can all enjoy rounds of drinks in cheer as these jerks are walked out the door..
Oh and maybe move offices of the remaining ones to the destroyed areas of North Carolina so that they can learn how average good US citizens feel about D.C.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Savin
[REGNUM] This past week, heads of government, banks, large corporations, as well as economists and other supporters of the program that the founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Klaus Schwab calls the “fourth industrial revolution” or “reset” gathered once again in Davos, Switzerland.
The WEF is also well known for working with celebrities and public figures to help advance its agenda. This time, former Spice Girl Melanie Brown was featured in Davos as a victim of domestic violence.
The speeches of many participants were a rather strange cocktail of ideas of globalism, capitalism, technological development and neoliberalism, seasoned with "democratic" rhetoric. There is no point in dwelling on all the speeches in detail; it is worth highlighting only the most striking details.
THE BEGINNING CONFRONTATION
Compared to previous forums, there was a certain nervousness in the air, caused, above all, by the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who has effectively declared war on globalism, and therefore on the agenda that the Davos Forum is promoting.
Ahead of the meeting, various economists and bankers called 2025 a difficult year that could change. And that is absolutely true: under Trump, the EU will come under greater pressure.
In his Davos speech, he accused European Union regulators of targeting Apple, Meta* and Google, calling the lawsuits against US companies a "form of taxation."
The US president specifically cited a €13 billion court case that Apple lost last year. The EU court in Luxembourg upheld a landmark 2016 ruling that Ireland had violated state aid laws by giving Apple an unfair advantage. And the money, which had been sitting in an escrow account until the final ruling, should be returned.
Given that virtually all major US tech companies support Trump (and he, accordingly, them), the White House is clearly intent on pushing the interests of these giant corporations in the EU.
In general, with the new course of US foreign policy, the globalists gathering at the WEF are unlikely to feel comfortable. Secret depravity of the Davos global elite
Especially considering that there is a clear division in the EU between supporters and opponents of Trump.
There is, for example, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who will certainly be listening closely to signals from Washington. On the other hand, there are the heads of Germany and France, who are still having problems with the electorate.
And, of course, the most striking example of the emerging confrontation with the US is Britain, which is closely linked to the EU. Its Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the easy help of billionaire and one of the key members of Trump's team Elon Musk, has already received the nickname "Pakistan rapist".
GLOBALIZATION IN CHINESE
The second noteworthy moment of the forum was the speeches by representatives of China. In a special address, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Ding Xuexiang called on governments to support multilateral institutions and warned against the ever-wider use of protectionist policies.
"We must jointly uphold and practice genuine multilateralism. Multilateralism is the right way to maintain world peace and promote human progress. It is the golden key to solving the difficulties and challenges facing the world," he said.
Earlier, the US administration of Barack Obama, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, advocated for the aforementioned “multilateralism”. Why is China now talking about it?
To some extent, this country is trying to replace the globalization under the auspices of the United States with its own globalization. Of course, it differs from the American one in a number of parameters, but still, from the point of view of national economies, it is the same globalization.
Under it, goods and services are displaced by Chinese ones, and the expansion of international infrastructure (the Belt and Road Initiative) serves the long-term interests of China itself, helping to saturate other countries with its goods. It is just done more gently, without the overt pressure or coercion previously practiced by Western transnational corporations.
FIGHTING "OPPONENTS OF DEMOCRACY"
As for the notable speeches of other state leaders, commenting on the US desire to have greater control over the Panama Canal, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino once again stated that the canal belongs to his country and called for respect for international agreements. He also emphasized the strength of Panama's alliance with the US.
Trump uses his menacing rhetoric and pressure as a “booster” in further negotiations, including to strengthen the US position in Central America as a whole.
In reality, a military intervention to establish control over the canal, which Panama fears, is unlikely. And the American president's harsh attacks are explained by the presence of infrastructure in the canal area, operated by China.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also spoke at the forum, calling on the EU to help “make social media great again” (to borrow Trump’s slogan) by cracking down on tech platforms he says are run by lawless tycoons.
“Tech billionaires want to overthrow democracy. This is the truth about the terrible threat we face,” Sanchez said, citing the spread of “disinformation” that fuels anti-liberal political movements. “The technology that was supposed to liberate us has become an instrument of our own oppression,” the Spanish prime minister said.
The truth is that with the advent of Trump, social media began a sharp turn away from the liberal globalist agenda, although they had previously followed it and introduced strict censorship towards any opponents and critics of it.
But now that the liberals’ criticism has “suddenly” become in demand, they immediately began to be indignant, explaining the new rhetoric as the machinations of “opponents of democracy.”
Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the forum, but he did not distinguish himself with any innovations. He was concerned that the US and Russia could reach an agreement on Ukraine, so he called on the EU to unite and continue to provide assistance to Kiev. In his opinion, Europe is interested in strengthening and repelling the “Russian threat”.
His call for NATO countries to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP surprisingly coincided with Donald Trump's demands. Although Zelensky has his own interest here - receiving further military-technical assistance.
However, it is unclear how European countries can stabilize their economies without cheap Russian gas in order to increase military spending. The EU leadership has confirmed that energy resources will become even more expensive. Therefore, increased spending, which continues to destroy the European economy, is inevitable.
Therefore, statements about the EU investment plan, which supposedly will ensure a technological breakthrough, support the “green” agenda, and strengthen collective defense, do not look very convincing.
Overall, the Davos forum leaves a strong impression that both it and the globalists' program as a whole, despite their connections and influence, continue to crack. And the most significant contribution to this is now being made by the main player in the Western world - the United States.
'I think we're going to move them to the border where they are allowed to carry guns.'
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump has revealed what could be the fate of nearly 90,000 newly hired Internal Revenue Service (IRS) staff, suggesting he might 'move them to the border'.
Words to drive some, or perhaps many, to quit, which I suspect is the objective.
Hours after he was handed over the presidency, the Republican leader signed an executive order to stop the hiring of all federal civilian employees until 'his Administration can determine that it is in the national interest to do so'.
Apart from the IRS, the decision is temporary for all other federal offices. He also froze funding for the Inflation Reduction Act commonly known as the bipartisan infrastructure law.
President Trump's order has since thrown the future of about 87,000 new IRS agents who had been hired for the 2022 Act into jeopardy.
According to Forbes, they were meant to 'focus on work pursuing high-wealth individuals, complex partnerships, and large corporations that do not pay taxes owed'.
However while speaking to a crowd of roughly 2,000 people at the Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas today, he said they may be 'moved to the border'.
'They hired - were trying to hire 88,000 new workers to go with you, and we're in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we move them to the border,' the President said amongst cheers.
'I think we're going to move them to the border where they are allowed to carry guns. You know, they're so strong on guns. But these people are allowed to carry guns. So we will probably move them to the border.'
Apart from halting new hiring, the new leader also announced the creation of a complimentary agency to the IRS to deal with external taxes and tariffs.
Like the IRS, the External Revenue Service (ERS) will collect and uphold laws related to taxes on foreign countries.
It comes after Trump said in November that he will impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico.
He also wants to put an additional 10 percent tax on goods from China – on top of other existing tariffs.
'I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families,' Trump said during his speech at the Capitol on Monday.
'Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.'
Trump went on: 'For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues.'
'It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury – coming from foreign sources,' he concluded.
'The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before.'
The proposed 25 percent tariff would represent a significant escalation in trade tensions and could impact a wide range of industries, from agriculture to automotive manufacturing.
He also warned world leaders they could face crippling economic sanctions if they don't start manufacturing in America in a blistering speech to the World Economic Forum on January 23.
The president said nations 'will pay' if they opt against doing business in the United States and touted a return to the 'Golden Age' of financial prosperity.
He also offered an incentive of lower taxes and rates to nations that choose to move more of their business while he is in the White House.
In remarks putting the globe on notice, he said his message was very simple: 'Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth... but if you don't make your product in America, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.'
As he rolled out his strategy to boost American manufacturing, he also urged Canada to become the 51st state to avoid the crippling economic sanctions he could deploy worldwide.
[IsraelTimes] Palestinian crowds hail terror group as Israel frees 200 inmates, including 121 serving life for attacks that killed dozens; one prisoner refuses to leave jail for Gaza, is swapped
Recently released Palestinian prisoners that were facing life sentences, enter Ramallah as flags from Hamas, Fatah, DFLP, and PFLP wave around them.
Prisoners released: 81 Hamas life sentences 23 PIJ life sentences 13 Fatah life sentences 2 PFLP life sentences 1 DFLP life… pic.twitter.com/QaBciBb5Ap
Israel on Saturday released 200 Paleostinian prisoners, including 121 serving life sentences for terror attacks that have killed dozens, in return for four female soldiers held by Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... , according to two lists published by the terror group.
Hamas’s list of life-term prisoners showed that 70 of them would be exiled. Egyptian media reported that Israel had delivered them to Egypt via Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ’s Rafah Border Crossing after Hamas released Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Liri Albag.
None of the other Paleostinian prisoners were set to be exiled, according to Hamas’s list of non-life-term prisoners.
Crowds of Paleostinians erupted in joy and chanted praise of Hamas as they welcomed dozens of prisoners who arrived in Ramallah aboard buses.
Stepping off the buses in gray tracksuits, many prisoners were raised onto the shoulders of people waiting, while others walked through the crowd.
"I had no doubt that I would be liberated one day. I was confident of that," said Mohammad al-Arda, sentenced to life imprisonment plus 15 years over his membership in the Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... terror group. He was recaptured in 2021 after digging his way out of jail through an improvised tunnel with three other inmates.
"We were in solitary confinement, under pressure and pain. I swear to God that when I saw the happiness of my people I became happy too, a happiness that words can’t describe," he said, after returning to Ramallah.
In the first, 42-day phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Israel is expected to release up to 1,904 Paleostinian security prisoners, including 737 serving life terms, in return for 33 Israelis held captive in Gaza.
Naser Dawoud, a Hamas terrorist who spent 21 years in prison serving two life sentences for taking part in attacks on Israel, said he couldn’t believe his name was among those to be freed. "I am a human being and was sentenced for life, I didn’t expect this to happen, there were some efforts before, but this time God blessed us," he told Rooters.
Paleostinian national flags and flags of the Fatah faction that dominates the Paleostinian Authority could be seen in photos and videos from the West Bank. PA forces were reported to confiscate Hamas flags in some cases.
However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... in the village of Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem, which is under Israeli jurisdiction, Hamas flags were seen during a celebratory procession.
Before the implementation of the ceasefire-hostage deal, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to prevent celebrations and parades by Paleostinians during the releases of security prisoners.
Channel 12 news reported that prisoners freed to Gaza were greeted with chants of "We are the people of Muhammad Deif," referencing Hamas’s late military chief, who was killed in an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in the Strip in July.
Footage shared on social media showed prisoners deported to Egypt phoning relatives after their release. The former prisoners include some responsible for orchestrating deadly suicide kabooms over the past several decades.
Saturday’s release is the second under the ceasefire, after Sunday saw Hamas free three civilian women in return for 90 Paleostinian security prisoners — mostly women and minors.
The lists Hamas published Saturday showed that three members of the so-called Silwan Squad were slated for release, all of whom were said to be headed for exile: Wael Qassam, Wissam Abbasi and Muhammad Odeh.
The Silwan Squad, named for its members’ East Jerusalem neighborhood, killed 35 people and maimed hundreds in five bombings across Israel between March and June 2002, at the height of the Second Intifada.
Recently released Paleostinian prisoners that were facing life sentences, enter Ramallah as flags from Hamas, Fatah, DFLP, and PFLP wave around them.
The squad’s fourth member, Alaa Abbasi, was not among the 737 life-term prisoners Israel said it would release in the hostage deal’s first phase. At 60 life sentences, he is serving the longest prison term of the four.
Another terror convict listed as going into exile was Samer al-Atrash, a member of a Hamas cell that killed seven people on a Jerusalem bus in May 2003. al-Atrash is one of a handful of prisoners up for release who hold Israeli citizenship.
According to the list, Israel will also exile Mohammed al-Tous. Arrested for murder in 1985, al-Tous, 69, has spent the longest continuous period in Israeli detention of any Paleostinian prisoner. He is a member of the Paleostinian Authority’s ruling, secularist Fatah movement.
Another Fatah prisoner said to be freed was Yasser Abu-Bakr, a native of the West Bank’s Jenin, who will not be exiled. Abu-Bakr was sentenced in 2004 to a cumulative 115 years in jail for arming a terror cell that shot up a Netanya hotel lobby in March 2002, wounding some 50 people and killing a nine-year-old girl. The cell’s members also killed two coppers and a civilian bystander in subsequent shootouts.
Among the prominent bully boyz slated for release later in the deal are Zakaria Zubeidi, the former Jenin commander of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and Mahmud Abu Varda, who is serving 48 life sentences for criminal masterminding multiple terror attacks, including a 1996 bombing on a bus in Jerusalem that killed 45 people.
Most of the prisoners on the lists published Saturday hail from Hamas itself. Others belong to Fatah, Paleostinian Islamic Jihad, and one of two Marxist factions: the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Paleostine ... a breakaway faction of the Pöpular Frönt för the Liberation of Paleostine. The are regarded as the most intellectual of Paleostinian fedayeen groups, smoking cheap cigarettes and drawing heavily on Marxist-Leninist theory to explain their crappy lives. They can occasionally be seen strutting through the streets of Paleostine, dressed up like soldiers and lugging firearms, though they seldom manage to hit anything and then usually by accident. This may be because of their habit of wearing black masks that cut off most of their vision. That would also explain their habit of occasionally walking into walls, which is a well-known attribute of those immersed in true understanding of the dialectic...
and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine.
One life-term prisoner was listed as having no affiliation — a 15-year-old arrested on November 2, 2023, whose crime was not detailed. Another 15-year-old, arrested the same day, appeared on the list of non-life-term prisoners, also without affiliation. They were the only two minors on the Hamas list.
Except for the two minors, all prisoners were listed as having been arrested before October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led bully boyz stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
Kan news reported that two of the inmates slated for release had refused to board a bus taking them from Ketziot Prison to Gaza. One of the inmates eventually agreed to board, while the other continued to refuse and was swapped with another prisoner.
It is believed that 87 hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas has so far released seven hostages during a ceasefire that began in January. The terror group released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
In addition to those kidnapped in the October 7 attack, Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza earlier this month.
[Breitbart] Officials in New York City may finally take action after 100 educators were accused of having “inappropriate” relationships with students, according to a report.
Records show that dozens of teachers have been accused of the interactions with students that sometimes have allegedly been sexual in nature, the New York Post reported on Saturday.
“Thirty-two more cases of educators and other school staffers engaged in improper communications with kids were substantiated by the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation — boosting the total to at least 121 cases from 2018 to 2024, up from 89 tallied in May, according to reports released to The Post,” the outlet said.
Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman has pushed hard for the city’s Department of Education (DOE) to bar employees from contacting the young people via personal phone numbers, online, and through apps. She recommended over 50 times for leaders to take such action, but the DOE apparently answered with a rejection.
However, the department has told the Post it may begin a crackdown.
[FoxNews] Trump appointed Gibson along with Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as Hollywood special ambassadors.
As President Donald Trump selected Mel Gibson to be one of his Special Ambassadors with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood, the actor explained why he chose to stay in California while several celebrities packed their bags.
"A lot of people have left, and I don't blame them," Gibson said during an appearance on "Hannity."
"It didn't suit them anymore. Even… people who were liberal, it didn't suit them anymore. But if everybody leaves, what's going to happen?"
Gibson’s comments come as Fox News host Sean Hannity shared that he left New York due to "crime… high taxes… burdensome regulations," and has "no intention" of returning. The "Flight Risk" actor agreed that several A-listers fled for the same reasons.
Despite being on the same page as the Fox News host, Gibson vowed to work with the president in what Trump called a "very troubled" Hollywood.
"[People] are going somewhere else because it's more cost-effective. There [are] just a lot of prohibitive regulations and things in the way that I think could be lifted… But I think it can be fixed."
Last week, Trump announced that, along with Gibson, that Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone would serve as "special envoys" to Hollywood, as people start to raise questions about their role as the industry reckons with a rocky state of affairs.
Gibson promised to get together with the other Hollywood ambassadors to discuss a plan and "educate" himself more on growing issues.
While Trump returns to office as the 47th president, Gibson believed he’ll "get some results here quickly" as he slammed the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom.
As a special envoy to Hollywood, the "Brave Heart" actor aims to focus on tax incentives, as Gibson argued Newsom’s plans aren’t "working."
"I know Newsom gave some tax incentives, but maybe not enough because it's still not working. There are other things that offset that," he told Hannity.
"The Passion of the Christ" actor continued to explain how he had to shoot a film for one day in Los Angeles, and it was cheaper for him to travel with a whole crew, fly to Europe, "lodge them" and film for three days than to work on a movie "down the road."
"There's something wrong there, and I think there are solutions. I know Arnold (Schwarzenegger) tried to level the playing field years ago. He couldn't do it because… there were obstacles. He tried, though."
Meanwhile, Gibson joined the long list of elite residents who have accused elected officials of mishandling the Los Angeles fires.
Gibson, who lost his home in the crisis, blasted Newsom in an exclusive interview with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo.
[IsraelTimes] IAEA chief Grossi urges diplomacy between US, Iran on nuclear issue; UN chief pushes Iran to renounce nuclear weapons
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... is "pressing the gas pedal" on its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday, adding that Iran’s recently announced acceleration in enrichment was starting to take effect.
Grossi said last month that Iran had informed the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency that it would "dramatically" accelerate the enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, closer to the roughly 90% of weapons-grade.
Western powers called the step a serious escalation and said there was no civil justification for enriching to that level and that no other country had done so without producing nuclear weapons. Iran, which frequently threatens to destroy Israel, has said its program is entirely peaceful and it has the right to enrich uranium to any level it wants.
"Before it was (producing) more or less seven kilograms (of uranium enriched to up to 60%) per month, now it’s above 30 or more than that. So I think this is a clear indication of an acceleration. They are pressing the gas pedal," Grossi told news hounds at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
According to an ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency yardstick, about 42 kilograms (93 pounds) of uranium enriched to that level is enough in principle, if enriched further, for one nuclear bomb. Grossi said Iran currently had about 200 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60%.
Still, he said it would take time to install and bring online the extra centrifuges — machines that enrich uranium — but that the acceleration was starting to happen.
"We are going to start seeing steady increases from now," he said.
Grossi has called for diplomacy between Iran and the administration of new US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... , who in his first term, pulled the United States out of a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that had imposed strict limits on Iran’s atomic activities. That deal has since unraveled.
"One can gather from the first statements from President Trump and some others in the new administration that there is a disposition, so to speak, to have a conversation and perhaps move into some form of an agreement," he said.
Separately, UN Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... said at Davos that Iran must make a first step toward improving relations with countries in the region and the United States by making it clear it does not aim to develop nuclear weapons.
"The most relevant question is Iran and relations between Iran, Israel and the United States," Guterres said as he discussed the situation in the Middle East at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Here my hope is that the Iranians understand that it is important to once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have nuclear weapons, at the same time that they engage constructively with the other countries of the region."
#1
Say the Enrichment locations were bombed, AGAIN.
Other than delaying the process yet AGAIN.
There will still be plenty of RAD waste. Rad waste that could be used to make some very dirty waste showering projectiles.
How about instead, making use of the increasing number of Iranian people, that are fed-up with the abusive Draconian practices of the high-ranking Twelver Shia clergymembers?
Just start training these willing Iranian decedents to take out their and the free world's real problem. The Iranian Radicalized Shia clergy members?
#4
"That nucular balm in a chador,
The Fat Lady, gets even fatter..."
In shocker, World Police
Seen renewing their lease!
Academic: Mad mullahs much madder.
[IsraelTimes] France’s Macron says working to maintain truce after Jerusalem says forces will remain in south beyond 60-day deadline due to Lebanese army not yet fully deploying
The Israeli army on Saturday warned residents of dozens of Lebanese villages near the border against returning until further notice, a day after Israel said its forces would remain in south Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... beyond the Sunday deadline for their departure.
Listing the villages that cannot be entered alongside a map, IDF Arabic-language front man Avichay Adraee said: "The IDF does not intend to target you and therefore at this stage you are prohibited from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice. Anyone who moves south of this line — exposes himself to danger."
The line on the map stretches from Shebaa, less than 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the border in the east, to Mansouri in the west — about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border.
A ceasefire signed in late November that ended the 2023-2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel stipulated that Israeli forces should withdraw as the Iran-backed terror group’s weapons and fighters are removed from the south and the Lebanese army deploys. The deal, brokered by Washington and Gay Paree, set a 60-day period which ends on Sunday.
But Israel said on Friday the terms had not been fully enforced by the Lebanese state, meaning Israeli troops would stay beyond Sunday, without saying for how long.
Lebanon’s US-backed military on Saturday accused Israel of procrastinating in its withdrawal.
The ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities that began when the Lebanese terror group started attacking Israel a day after Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... ’s deadly assault on the country on October 7, 2023. Incessant attacks continued until Israel launched a major campaign in Lebanon in September 2024, killing most of Hezbollah’s top leadership and crippling much of its capabilities.
The conflict uprooted tens of thousands in northern Israel and more than a million people in Lebanon.
The Israeli military says it has been seizing Hezbollah weapons and dismantling its infrastructure in south Lebanon amid the ceasefire.
The White House said on Friday that a short, temporary ceasefire extension was urgently needed.
French President Emmanuel Macron told his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun that he was in contact to maintain the ceasefire and complete the implementation of the agreement, the Lebanese president’s office said in a statement.
Aoun stressed to Macron the need to oblige Israel to implement the deal to preserve stability.
Hezbollah, which suffered major blows in the war, said on Thursday that any delay of Israel’s withdrawal would be an unacceptable breach of the deal and put the onus on the Lebanese state to act. Hezbollah said the Lebanese state would have to deal with such a violation "through all means and methods guaranteed by international charters."
Israel said its campaign against Hezbollah aimed to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people forced by Hezbollah rocket fire to leave their homes in northern Israel.
The Lebanese army, in a statement issued on Saturday, urged Lebanese residents to wait before heading into the border region, citing the presence of mines and unwent kaboom! Israeli ordnance. The army said it had continued to implement the plan to strengthen its deployment south of the Litani River since the ceasefire came into effect.
"Delays occurred in a number of the phases as a result of procrastination in the withdrawal by the Israeli enemy, which complicated the mission of the army’s deployment," the statement said. The army "maintains its readiness to complete its deployment as soon as the Israeli enemy withdraws."
Reports in Israel have painted a different picture, with the Lebanese army said to be slow to carry out its duties under the ceasefire deal.
In the first public confirmation of a delay, following weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that "the IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional." He said that since Lebanon "has not yet fully enforced" its obligations under the ceasefire, "the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States." The original 60-day deadline was slated for January 26.
Israeli soldiers are continuing to find Hezbollah weapons caches in areas covered by the truce, and army officials have reportedly said that Lebanon’s army is in some places helping Hezbollah.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement Friday: "All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors. To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed.
"We are pleased that the IDF has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension," he added.
The IDF is currently deployed to several villages in southern Lebanon, mostly in the eastern sector. The Lebanese Armed Forces have deployed to villages in the western sector in recent weeks as the IDF has withdrawn.
The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah if it reacts with force to Israel not fully withdrawing.
Hours after Netanyahu’s announcement Friday, the IDF said that in recent days it carried out strikes in southern Lebanon to "remove threats," and troops have also demolished Hezbollah weapon depots and observation posts.
"The IDF is continuing to operate in accordance with the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the military said. "The IDF remains deployed in southern Lebanon, continues to monitor Hezbollah’s attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to IDF troops and the State of Israel."
[IsraelTimes] After Bern demanded probe into death of tourist who was arrested on suspicion of espionage, Tehran says 64-year-old entered Iran ‘in a car fitted with various technical equipment’ "Seat belts and airbags, even!"
A Swiss national who Iranian authorities said took his own life while in an Iranian jail after being arrested on suspicion of espionage had taken pictures of military sites, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... had demanded detailed information on the reasons for the arrest of the 64-year-old man, who had been traveling in Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... as a tourist, and a full investigation into the circumstances of his death earlier this month.
"The person had entered the country from Dogharoun (bordering Afghanistan) in October as a tourist in a car fitted with various technical equipment meant for different purposes," the judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said.
The Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has said it was informed by the Islamic Theocratic Republic about the arrest of the 64-year-old man on December 10 on suspicion of espionage.
The man had been traveling in Iran as a tourist, and had not resided in Switzerland for almost 20 years, the FDFA said, adding he had been living in southern Africa.
The Iranian spokesperson said the detainee had hanged himself with a piece of cloth after turning off his cell’s light and placing himself out of the view of security cameras. Epsteined
"After passing through several provinces, he entered Semnan province and was arrested while being in a military-restricted zone," Jahangir said. "He was arrested on charges of taking pictures of the military zone and collaborating with hostile states."
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have in recent years arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Several Europeans or dual nationals are detained in Iran, including French couple Cecile Kohler and Jacques Gay Paree, who are accused of spying.
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, arrested and tossed in the clink You have the right to remain silent... in Iran since December, was freed and returned to Rome earlier this month.
In 2023, Oman negotiated the release of six Europeans, including Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who had been convicted of espionage and spent more than a year in detention.
Rights groups accuse Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.
#2
Everyone should have to sign a statement before they enter Iran: I ____________, am an idiot. I have always been an idiot, and I will always be an idiot.
If I am arrested I will not expect anyone to help me, because I am an idiot.
In Iran lands a panda. [Rick Steves
hits the streets in his shocking short sleeves]
"Folks, it's all black and white:
Friends and food and nice sights,
And quite safe!" [Stevie eats, shoots, and leaves]
[NY Post] Ukraine’s weapons procurement agency, which is tasked with reforming a department long plagued by corruption, is battling another scandal as the Defense Ministry tries to fire its director.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that Defense Procurement Agency director Maryna Bezrukova’s contract would not be renewed, citing "unsatisfactory" results, "leakage" of information and "political games."
"There has been much talk about procuring weapons for the army, but the outcomes have been unsatisfactory," Umerov said in a Facebook post Friday.
"We are changing the system to ensure results are delivered on the front lines, not just in the news."
But Bezrukova said she’s not going to "surrender."
"I will stand in my position until the end," she told the Kyiv Independent.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025
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More food for the rest of the population back home.
[NY Post] Approximately 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting Ukrainian troops in Russia, with minimal battlefield gains to show for it and ongoing battles with language and cultural barriers, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
The losses, which include those missing and captured, account for about a third of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s 11,000-member deployment to Russia’s Kursk region, which began in October, and confirm estimates made by Ukrainian officials.
About 1,000 of them were killed in action.
Some of the North Korean soldiers have reportedly chosen suicide over surrender in the face of brutal “human wave” attacks out of fear that their captures would be treated as treason back home.
Yet, North Korea is likely “accelerating preparations” to send even more troops to Russia, South Korea’s military said Friday.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The defense forces are holding the lines and taking the necessary measures to prevent a breakthrough of the defense.
Since the beginning of the day, the total number of combat clashes along the entire front line has increased to 123. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Saturday, January 25.
Seven assault actions by Russian invaders took place near Petrovpavlovka, Peschanoye, Glushkovka and Lozovaya in the Kupyansk direction, one combat clash is still ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the enemy is attacking in the areas of the settlements of Tverdokhlebovo, Novosergeevka, Sheykovka, Novaya Kruglyakovka, Druzhelyubovka, Grekovka, Pervomayskoye, Kopanki and in the directions of Novolyubovka, Makeyevka, Zelenaya Dolina and Torskoye. In total, since the beginning of the day, there have already been 25 combat clashes in this direction, nine of which are still ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Defense Forces repelled 27 enemy attempts to advance forward near Orekhovo-Vasilovka, Novomarkovy, Chasovoy Yar, Stupochki, Predtechinoye and Belaya Gora; 13 combat clashes continue.
In the Toretsk direction, the Russians attacked our troops' positions in the Toretsk district eight times. Four of the clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the enemy attacked positions in the areas of the settlements of Vodyanoye Vtoroy, Elizavetovka, Mirolyubovka, Luch, Zelenoe, Udachnoye, Novoaleksandrovka, Kotlino, Bogdanovka, Andreyevka, Shevchenko, Dachnoye, Ulakly and Konstantinopolskoye 32 times; nine combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the defenders repelled eight attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novosyolka, Novodarovka, Konstantinopol and Bolshaya Novosyolka.
Since the beginning of the day, the occupiers have not carried out any offensive actions in the Orekhov, Gulyai-Polye, Pridneprovsk, Kharkov, and Seversk directions.
Fifteen combat clashes took place today in the Kursk direction, seven combat clashes are still ongoing. In addition, the enemy carried out 17 air strikes, dropped 33 UABs and carried out 266 artillery attacks, including six from MLRS.
Let us recall that over the past 24 hours, the Russian army lost 1,650 soldiers killed and wounded at the front. Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's losses have reached approximately 828,470 people.
[Rudaw] Around 5,000 Nigerian women are stranded in Iraq, according to the head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
"As I speak with you today there are about 5,000 women stranded in Iraq," said the head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, as reported by Vanguard news on Wednesday.
Dabiri-Erewa said that the women travel to Iraq to work as caregivers, but end up stranded or in difficult situations.
"I just dealt with a case last week. A husband sent his wife to Iraq to go and be a caregiver. She’s dead," she said.
She explained that they are working to repatriate the body of the recently deceased woman and investigate the cause of her death, "because she just died mysteriously being a caregiver."
While warning of the dangers of irregular migration, she also called on Nigerians to seek opportunities locally, rather than risk their lives abroad.
Many Nigerians leave the country in search of better job opportunities.
Information about domestic workers in Iraq is often inaccurate, the deputy head of the Women, Family, and Childhood Committee in the Iraqi Parliament Sarwa Mohammed told Rudaw on Thursday, explaining that some of the foreign workers are transported to the Emirates and other Gulf countries, and then illegally brought into Iraq.
Najm al-Aqabi, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said that there are several agencies responsible for the entry of foreign workers, such as the Housing Department and some other security agencies.
There are nearly one million foreign workers in Iraq, 70 percent of then working without permits, according to the Iraqi Workers Union.
Iraq’s Labor Law stipulates that no foreign worker may work without a permit from the Ministry of Labor, the employer must bear the cost of the travel ticket to Iraq, and if the foreign worker dies, the employer must cover the cost of repatriating their body to their country of origin.
Iraq is both a source and destination country for human trafficking.
"Traffickers subject migrants colonists, both documented and undocumented, from throughout Asia and Africa to forced labor as construction workers, security guards, cleaners, handymen, and domestic workers in Iraq," stated the United States 2024 Trafficking in Persons report, which noted that trafficking victims in Iraq often face harsh treatment, are underpaid, and made to live in substandard conditions.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/26/2025
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#1
"Iraq is both a source and destination country for human trafficking."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On January 25, the Roscosmos Corporation showed a photo of the world's largest iceberg, A23A. The photo was taken using the Meteor-M satellite.
“According to the latest estimates, the area of iceberg A23A is 3,672 square kilometers, and it weighs almost 1 trillion tons,” the company’s Telegram channel says.
The iceberg is in the Southern Ocean and is approaching the British island of South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The coordinates at the time of the photo were 56°51'14" S and 39°32'56" W.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, oceanographer Andrew Meyers of the British Antarctic Survey said on January 24 that iceberg A23A could collide with South Georgia Island. The giant block of ice had been "trapped" for several months, but now it has fallen into a current that is carrying it toward land.
The iceberg broke off from Antarctica in 1986 and remained in almost the same place for decades. In 2020, it began to move, but then got caught in an underwater funnel. In December 2024, the ice block continued to move north.
[Breitbart] President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is filling President Joe Biden’s gaps in the nation’s border wall.
Trump’s new border patrol chief, Michael Banks, touted the wall construction in a Saturday tweet: “Efforts like installing wall panels to fill critical gaps in Deming, New Mexico, exemplify our commitment to enhancing infrastructure and operational effectiveness.”
The expanded concrete-and-steel wall will complement Trump’s many other border measures. Those changes include the deployment of more border guards and the rollout of legal changes that minimize loopholes in the border law.
The combination of the wall, guards, and legal changes is likely to greatly reduce the flow of migrants.
Trump will soon push Congress for extra border wall funding via a fast-track “reconciliation” spending bill.
Public support for border security is at record levels.
In January 2021, Democrats stopped construction of Trump’s border wall.
President Joe Biden’s pro-migration border chief, Alejandro Mayorkas, also halted the planned development of lights and sensors on the completed portions of the wall. His decision to stop construction likely violated a federal “anti-impoundment” law that bars officials from not spending the money allocated by Congress for specific purposes.
His decision helped more than two million illegal migrants sneak through or across the incomplete wall.
Democrats wanted the migrants to get in so they could take jobs and suppress wage inflation amid massive spending by the Democrats. The plan failed, partly because the migrants also spiked inflation by boosting housing prices.
#1
It wasn’t just the Dems that wanted the invasion. Half of the GOP Senators have made pro-invasion arguments in the last 4 years.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 10:03
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#2
His decision to stop construction likely violated a federal “anti-impoundment” law that bars officials from not spending the money allocated by Congress for specific purposes.
The House has already voted to impeach Mayorkas for his misdeeds. The Senate has already voted against taking up the impeachment. What one Congress forbids, the next allows.
[MAIL] The CIA has today revealed its belief that COVID-19 was likely leaked from a Chinese lab after years of denial under the Biden administration.
A spokesperson for the agency said on Saturday that they now favor the lab theory.
Officials said that there is no new evidence behind their shift in opinion - it is based on the same evidence they have been mulling over for months. "Mulling" the arrival of a new Director and a potential demand for the actual facts ?
'CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting.
'CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible,' the agency said in an announcement on Saturday. Meanwhile, long awaited document clean-up efforts have moved into a new phase at Fort Detrick and other locations.
The spokesperson added that they have 'low confidence in the judgement' and would continue to evaluate any new intelligence or relevant information.
In announcing their shift in stance, the CIA joined the FBI and the Energy Department in identifying the cause of it as being a lab mishap in Wuhan, China. Involving US funded 'Gain of Function' off-site research ?
The Wuhan Institute of Virology has faced scrutiny over its research into bat coronaviruses and alleged lapses in security around the time the pandemic started.
#4
I am also open to considering the possibility that the CCP, (D), and Medical Industrial Complex helped plan the lab "accident" and the rapid spread of C-19/2#.
BTW: Whatever happen to a certain outspoken CCP Lab Doctor that disappeared suddenly found remote fortified enclosed accommodations?
[PJMedia] Saturday, Feb. 1, is another World Hijab Day, a Western feminist expression of solidarity with Moslem women in the United States who are supposedly oppressed and discriminated against because they wear the hijab. The National Education Association (NEA) is going in for this in a big way out of concern for hijab-wearing Moslem women who have supposedly been discriminated against. Notably absent, however, is any NEA concern for women who have been victimized for not wearing the hijab.
The NEA asserted Wednesday that "Moslem students in the United States—from middle school through college and university—are experiencing harassment, discrimination, and bullying at scary rates, surveys show. On college campuses, 49% of Moslem students experienced harassment or discrimination due to their Moslem identity, they told the Council on American—Islamic Relations-CA in 2024. More than one in three felt targeted by professors; more than half by their peers." That would be terrible indeed, but it ain’t necessarily so.
Nonetheless, in order to counter this alleged harassment and discrimination, the NEA wants you to observe World Hijab Day, and quotes one of the proponents of the day as saying: "The whole goal is to dismantle Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ." The idea that there have been any significant manifestations of "Islamophobia" is, however, dubious; note that the NEA relies for its data on the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... -linked Council on American-Islamic Relations ... the Moslem Brüderbund's American arm... (CAIR). Yet CAIR has been caught promoting numerous fake hate crimes.
Also, the oppression related to the hijab is not linked to wearing it, but to not wearing it. Actual incidents of Moslem women being harassed or discriminated against for wearing the hijab in the U.S., meanwhile, are extraordinarily hard to find. It’s much easier to find examples of Moslem women in America who falsely claimed that they were being harassed or discriminated against in order to score points on the left’s insane scale of victimhood worship.
Back on Sept. 16, 2022, in Tehran, the Iranian morality police arrested Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, for not wearing her hijab properly. Amini later died in a hospital in Tehran, and numerous Iranians charged that she had been tortured to death while in jug. All over the country, protesters erupted into the streets to protest not against the hijab laws, but against the repressive and brutal Islamic Theocratic Republic itself.
Other women, and male protesters as well, were killed as the Iranian regime ruthlessly applied the Qur’anic injunction to "strike terror in the enemies of Allah" (8:60). The protests went on for months until the regime began summarily executing protesters, and even then some indomitably courageous Iranians continued to take to the streets to demand their freedom.
It is against that backdrop that World Hijab Day is once again being celebrated. For innumerable women in Iran, the hijab is the most visible sign of their second-class status, and of the brutality of the regime that will imprison them for years or even kill them outright for daring to venture out in public without wearing it.
For the Reader’s edification, editorialist Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, appends a longish list of hijabis who lied in recent years about being attacked for wearing the thing, and an even longer list of girls and women attacked and killed for refusing to wear one.
#1
If we need to do something in Afghanistan in the future, there are some women there who would probably help us.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 10:07
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#2
I would like to invite any Female NEA members to vacation 30 days in IRAN, or any other such Islamic nation. Then behave, teach, act, and dress the same as they do and teach here.
Then honestly report back to us their 1st hand experiences. If they can.
#3
"Each year, our Mohammedan lobby
Promotes here its queer little hobby
Of steering you girls
Clear of baring your curls"
Sneers a dear merely beaten hijabi.
[NY Post] President Trump greenlit the delivery of thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, according to a report.
For Hamas, for Hezbollah, for the Houthis, for Iran — so many possibilities!
As many as 1,800 MK-84 bombs will be shipped off to the Jewish state in the coming days — reversing a Biden administration hold on the explosive supply, Israeli officials told Axios.
The Israeli government was reportedly notified by the Pentagon about the release on Friday, the day before Hamas released four hostages as part of the cease-fire agreement.
The massive bombs were held in storage since May, when Biden decided to hold off on a delivery out of concern Israel would cause significant civilian devastation by unleashing the weapons in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The US previously delivered more than 10,000 of the bombs — known as "bunker busters" because they can reach deep underground before detonating — to Israel during the war.
The halt caused a major strain on the US’s relationship with Israel.
The news comes just days after outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United States Mike Herzog revealed he expected Trump to reverse the ban within his first few days in office.
"We believe that Trump is going to release, at the beginning of his term, the munitions that haven’t been released until now by the Biden administration," Herzog said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2025
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[11161 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
How about dropping a few in Tehran.
A serpent body might grow a new tail, but not a new head.
#3
I guess the underlying question being asked is.
Is keeping IRAN and its terrorist units at bay to protect our national security in better shape and about 21% of our oil usage secure? Instead of having a IRAN controlled Middle-East and Indian Ocean area?
I think very much so, UNLIKE pumping $$$'s of Billions into Ukraine.
[Rudaw] Two Iraqi border guards were killed and one was injured in northern Duhok province on Friday. A source said they were killed in an altercation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but media affiliated with the gang blamed The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... The incident took place on Friday morning between the villages of Soriya and Shilan in the Zakho area where the border guards were on patrol, according to the source, speaking to Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
One of the dead has been named as Ali Ramazan, a 38-year-old father of seven children.
"We got a call in the morning, they said ’Ali is maimed. It was the PKK, they shot at him on the road.’ That’s all we know, nothing else. It was around ten in the morning and until now we do not know at the end how he was martyred, whether it was a stand-off or an ambush," Ramazan’s brother told Rudaw.
The other border guard has been identified as Mehvan Naji.
Roj News, affiliated with the PKK, said they were killed by Turkey.
"The occupying Ottoman Turkish army bombarded an Iraqi border checkpoint, causing the death of two soldiers and one maimed," it reported.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now calls for autonomy. The group, which has bases in the Kurdistan Region, is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey.
Turkey began intensifying its decades-long war against the PKK in Duhok province last summer, looking to secure the border region.
[IsraelTimes] Iran-backed rebels say they released ‘humanitarian’ prisoners, aiming ‘to build trust and establish a new phase’ in peace talks to end decade-long civil war Did I just read about Trump releasing 2000-lb bombs to Israel? Why, yes I did Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... ’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels unilaterally freed 153 war detainees Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Thingy said, one of several overtures in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... 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.
Previous prisoner releases have been viewed as a means to jumpstart talks over permanently ending Yemen’s decade-long war, which began when the Houthis seized the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
However,
the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... the release comes just after the Houthis detained another seven Yemeni workers from the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... , sparking anger from the world body.
Those released previously had been visited by Red Thingy staff in Sanaa and received medical checks and other assistance, the organization said while announcing the release.
Let us note that the Red Cross freely visited Houthi prisoners to check on them, but never even asked to visit those held in Gaza. Do I harp on this point? Then I shall continue to harp.
The Houthis had signaled Friday night they planned a release of prisoners.
The Red Thingy said it "welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations."
"This operation has brought much-needed relief and joy to families who have been anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones," said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen. "We know that many other families are also waiting for their chance to be reunited. We hope that today’s release will lead to many more moments like this."
Abdul Qader al-Murtada, the head of the Houthis’ Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, said in a statement carried by Houthi media that those released were "humanitarian cases’ that included the sick, maimed and the elderly.
"The goal of the initiative is to build trust and establish a new phase of serious and honest dealing," al-Murtada said.
The Red Thingy has helped oversee other prisoner releases, including one that saw some 1,000 prisoners swapped in 2020, over 800 detainees exchanged in 2023 and another release in 2024.
The rebels said earlier this week they would limit their attacks on ships in the Red Sea corridor and released the 25-member crew of the Galaxy Leader, a ship they seized back in November 2023, as the Gaza ceasefire took hold.
The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
The Houthis’ attacks on shipping during the Israel-Hamas war have helped deflect attention from their problems at home. But they have faced casualties and damage from US-led Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s targeting the group for months now, as well as strikes by Israel.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio wondered: Where the hell was Chumbaloni? And where was his $600?... Yemen’s economy is in tatters, something that’s put increasing pressure on the Houthis and others in the conflict to potentially negotiate an end to the war.
A de facto ceasefire in the conflict, which drew in a Saudi-led coalition in 2015, has largely held for several years now even during the Houthi attacks over the Israel-Hamas war.
Yet the Houthis still conducted the raids that saw seven UN workers detained, likely alongside others. The rebels previously detained UN staffers, as well as individuals associated with the once-open US Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, aid groups and civil society.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... late Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the seven, as well as all other UN workers held by the Houthis, some since 2021.
"The continued targeting of UN personnel and its partners negatively impacts our ability to assist millions of people in need in Yemen," he warned in a statement. "The Houthis must deliver on their previous commitments and act in the best interests of the Yemeni people and the overall efforts to achieve peace in Yemen."
The UN has halted work in Yemen, which provides food, medicine and other aid to the impoverished nation.
US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... separately has moved to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the group late in his first term that had been revoked by president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant.... , potentially setting the stage for new tensions with the rebels.
Analysts have linked the newest UN detentions as being connected to the decision, though the Houthis themselves have yet to comment on them.
The rebels have been airing repeated programs on television channels they control parading people they describe as working with Western intelligence agencies or the Israelis.
[IsraelTimes] Cyprus has been transit point for repatriation of foreign nationals fleeing conflicts in Middle East and for delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war
Experts from the US Air Force are looking at ways to upgrade Cyprus’s premier air base for use as a humanitarian staging post in future operations in the Middle East, a Cypriot official told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named Thursday.
Cyprus, which is only 184 kilometers (114 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has acted as a transit point for the repatriation of foreign nationals fleeing conflict in the Middle East and beyond on numerous occasions in the past. It has also served as a transit point for humanitarian aid to 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... Experts from the 435th Contingency Response Group based out of Ramstein, Germany will spend the next few days at Andreas Papandreou Air Force Base to assess the upgrade needed to accommodate a wide array of US air assets and other forces.
Cyprus and Israel have worked on several joint projects in recent years, as I recall. Once the base is upgraded, America might not be the only one interested…
A key priority is to ensure air traffic safety in and around the base, which abuts the island’s second-largest civilian airport, the official said. The base’s location makes it easy to transfer evacuees onto civilian aircraft at the adjacent airport for their trip home.
The official spoke to the News Agency that Dare Not be Named on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak publicly about the details of the experts’ visit.
Air traffic safety would need to be enhanced through new high-tech installations, including state-of-the-art radar, to ensure the independent operation of civilian and military aircraft at safe distances.
Other essential upgrades include expanding both the base itself and the runway to accommodate more transport and fighter aircraft. Hardened shelters to protect those air assets are also envisioned.
The Cyprus government agreed to the air base upgrade assessment following the recent deployment of a US Marine contingent at the base. The Marines, who were equipped with V-22 Osprey tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft, were on stand-by in the event of a swift evacuation of US citizens from nearby Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... during Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah targets late last year.
Deputy government front man Yannis Antoniou told the state broadcaster Thursday that any use of the base by the forces of the US or other nations would require prior Cyprus government approval. He insisted the air base would not act as a forward base for military strike operations against targets in the region.
"We’ve shown interest in working with [US Forces] because we consider this to serve the vital interests of the Cyprus Republic," Antoniou said, adding that in their report, the USAF experts will offer an estimate of the upgrade costs and which percentage of those the US government would be willing to cover.
[Rudaw] The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday said their forces killed nine holy warriors in festivities near Manbij, northern Syria on Thursday.
"Our forces eliminated nine Ottoman Turkish occupation mercenaries and injured eleven others during legitimate response operations targeted [at] the Ottoman Turkish occupation bases in the village of al-Hoshriya in the countryside of Manbij and in the countryside of Deir Hafer," the SDF wrote in a statement.
The SDF said it also "conducted an operation in the village of Atshana, south of Manbij, targeting a gathering of vehicles and personnel belonging to the Ottoman Turkish occupation’s mercenaries. However,
alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... the number of casualties in this operation could not be confirmed."
For more than a month, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... and the Syrian militia groups it supports, who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA), have carried out intense attacks on SDF-held areas near Manbij, including Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge on the Euphrates River.
Taking control of the dam could help Ankara and the SNA easily advance to other parts of Kurdish-held northeast Syria (Rojava).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Turkey carried out Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s and shelling around the dam and Manbij on Thursday.
Turkey considers Kurdish forces in northern Syria to be a front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has threatened to carry out a military offensive against them.
While battling the SNA and Turkey, the SDF is also engaged in discussions with the new leadership in Damascus.
Earlier this month, Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said the new Syrian army would include the SDF, days after he met with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi to discuss the future of the Kurdish-led force and the status of Rojava. Abdi has expressed readiness to integrate his force into Syria’s new security apparatus if both sides agree on a formula.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Wednesday that the recent attacks by militia groups on civilians protesting at the Tishreen Dam in northern Syria have killed at least 20 people and injured over 120 others.
SDF has accused The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... member, but not the most reliable... and the militia groups it supports, who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA), of carrying out attacks on the crucial Tishreen Dam near Manbij city. Hundreds of civilians have travelled from other SDF-held areas in northeast Syria (Rojava) to the dam to form a human shield but they have come under several drone attacks.
"The attacks on the Dam... have resulted in the martyrdom of more than 20 civilians and injured over 120 others," said the SDF in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Ottoman Turkish-made drones like Bayraktar and Akinci were used in the bombardments.
The takeover of the dam could help Ankara and the SNA to easily advance to other parts of Rojava.
Tishreen Dam sits on the Euphrates River in northern Syria, upstream from scores of towns and villages as well as urban centres like Raqqa. It provides electricity to much of Rojava.
There is apparently another dam downstream of Tishreen, if I understand correctly, so if Turkey damages or destroys it as they seem to be working toward it would probably only be extremely damaging instead of totally destructive — but Rantburg’s civil engineers would know what I am only guessing at.
Rojava’s environmental authority warned on Monday that a collapse of the dam would result in an "environmental disaster" that would affect hundreds of thousands and cut electricity access amid turban attacks.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Friday that they arrested two suspected Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) leaders in an operation in the east of the country.
The two targets of the SDF operation were hiding in the town of Khisham, located in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province, the force stated.
They were identified as Karim al-Nahar, a security emir (leader) for the group, and Abdul Karim Amir al-Karim al-Nahar.
"The captured turbans were involved in carrying out several terrorist acts against our forces and civilian institutions, in addition to targeting fuel tankers," the SDF stated.
The SDF announced on Tuesday that it carried out nearly 100 operations against ISIS in 2024, resulting in the capture of 270 suspected members, including high-ranking leaders.
After the fall of the regime of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... last month, the United States-led global coalition against ISIS and its main ally in Syria, the SDF, which controls northeast Syria (Rojava), have worked to prevent the snuffies from reestablishing their presence in the evolving security landscape.
[IsraelTimes] Complacency is not an option in the face of Egypt’s military buildup and the fragility of Jordan's monarchy
The Middle East remains a volatile region, where the unexpected can become reality overnight. As Israel focuses on urgent challenges such as the return of hostages 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... , dismantling Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... ’ regime, and countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions, it must not neglect the broader, long-term challenges looming on the horizon. The stability of Israel’s key neighbors is crucial for its long-term security. However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes... the region is experiencing a period of significant instability, with internal pressures and external influences threatening to undermine existing regimes.
EGYPT’S MILITARY BUILDUP: A THREAT IN DISGUISE?
One of these potential threats stems from Egypt, a country with a growing military capability and strategic implications for Israel’s national security. Just last month, the United States announced a $5 billion arms deal with Egypt, underscoring the country’s prioritization of military strength. This comes even as Egypt suffers severe economic challenges, exacerbated by disruptions in Suez Canal traffic caused by 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... activity — a vital source of revenue for its GDP. These developments raise an uncomfortable question: why does Egypt, a country with no external military threats and a crumbling economy, continue to pour billions into its military?
The answer partly lies in Egypt’s ongoing view of Israel as a key military challenge. Despite the peace treaty, Egypt’s military regularly conducts exercises simulating confrontations with Israeli forces. These maneuvers raise a concern that Egypt’s stance could change, with serious implications for Israel. Israel must internalize the lessons of October 7th, where a catastrophic failure to anticipate an adversary’s intentions had devastating consequences. While the current "strategic partnership" is valuable, Israel must remain cautious, as regional dynamics can shift rapidly. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria serves as a stark reminder of how quickly leadership changes can alter security landscapes, a potential risk for Israel’s neighbors as well.
Internally, Egypt’s economic crisis, marked by rampant inflation, widespread poverty, and crippling debt, is deepening instability. This creates an environment where President Sisi’s government is vulnerable to challenges from radical Islamist groups. History shows that prioritizing military spending over economic reform increases the risk of unrest and the collapse of regimes. If Egypt’s government were to fall, bully boy factions or regional powers could take advantage, potentially using Egypt’s huge military against Israel and reshaping the region’s balance of power.
JORDAN’S FRAGILE MONARCHY
Jordan, another of Israel’s key neighbors, faces similar vulnerabilities. With a Sunni majority thstyle:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='at large'>on the lamly opposes the monarchy and significant economic challenges, Jordan’s stability cannot be taken for granted. The potential collapse of the Hashemite regime poses a serious threat to Israel. A hostile regime emerging in Jordan, potentially backed by Iran, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , or bully boy groups, would dramatically alter the security landscape. Securing the 500-kilometer-long border with a hostile entity would strain Israel’s military resources and divert attention from other critical security challenges.
A CALL FOR PROACTIVE MEASURES
I believe that in the face of these looming threats, Israel cannot afford complacency. The government must prioritize intelligence and military preparedness regarding both Egypt and Jordan. To address these challenges, several steps are necessary:
1. Military Preparedness: To effectively counter potential threats, Israel must enhance its intelligence capabilities, not only focusing on military assets but also understanding the political and social dynamics that could destabilize Egypt and Jordan. Additionally, resources should be redirected to strengthen defenses along the southern and eastern borders, including multi-front conflict simulations and contingency plans for regime changes in Cairo or Amman.
2. Diplomatic Engagement: While maintaining a strong peace treaty with Egypt, Israel must also engage in quiet diplomacy with the US and European allies to actively convey the potential risks associated with Egypt’s military buildup. This engagement should aim to encourage a shared understanding of the challenges and foster a collaborative approach to mitigating potential threats.
3. Regional Cooperation: Strengthening alliances with other moderate Arab states is crucial. Israel’s growing ties with the Gulf provide a valuable opportunity to counterbalance Egypt’s military ambitions and mitigate the impact of potential regime changes in Egypt or Jordan.
Israel’s immediate challenges are undoubtedly pressing, but the broader regional picture cannot be ignored. The potential for regime changes in Egypt and Jordan represents a strategic risk that demands foresight and preparation. As history has shown, the cost of complacency in the Middle East is steep. By taking proactive measures today, Israel can safeguard its future and ensure it remains prepared for the uncertainties that lie ahead. The stakes are too high to watch passively from the sidelines; Israel must act decisively to secure its national interests.
The Russian Ministry of Defense failed to provide its usual summary for its Special Military Operation, leaving news-front.su to take up the slack.
[News-Front] According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on January 25 of this year, during the Special Military Operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost up to 1,420 people. The Russian Armed Forces damaged the infrastructure of military airfields, warehouses for storing unmanned aerial vehicles and places where they are prepared for combat use, as well as concentrations of enemy manpower and equipment in 132 districts.
As of January 25 of this year, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 1,420 personnel, 7 combat armored vehicles, 3 US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 18 vehicles, 17 field artillery guns and an electronic warfare station. Air defense systems shot down 3 US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets and 44 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
Formations of 5 mechanized, motorized infantry, airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a national guard brigade and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Belogorivka, Dachnoye, Orekhovo-Vasilevka, Konstantinovka, Zelenovka, Chasov Konstantinopol, Razliv, Velyka Novosyolka, Chasov Yar of the Donetsk People's Republic and Temirovka of the Zaporizhia region.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of three coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Tokarevka, Antonovka, Yantarnoye and Sadovoye in the Kherson region.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups damaged the infrastructure of military airfields, warehouses for storing unmanned aerial vehicles and places where they are prepared for combat use, as well as concentrations of enemy manpower and equipment in 132 districts.
Let us recall that from January 18 to 24, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation struck critically important gas and energy infrastructure facilities that ensure the operation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
During the offensive actions, the Sever Group of Forces' units inflicted fire damage on formations of one tank brigade, one heavy mechanised brigade, four mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades of the AFU close to Viktorovka, Zaoleshenka, Kositsa, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Makhnovka, Mirny, Nikolayevka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novaya Sorochina, Sverdlikovo, Sudzha, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, artillery inflicted losses on enemy manpower and hardware close to Guyevo, Dmitryukov, Zazulevka, Kazachya Loknya, Kruglenkoye, Loknya, Melovoy, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Oleshnya, Sverdlikovo, Staraya Sorochina, Yuzhny as well as Basovka, Belovody, Zhuravka, Miropolye, and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
In the course of the day, the AFU losses were more than 360 troops, one tank, nine armoured fighting vehicles, 27 motor vehicles, one self-propelled artillery system, two mortars, one electronic warfare station as well as six UAV command posts and one ammunition depot. Five AFU servicemen surrendered.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 54,820 troops, 319 tanks, 237 infantry fighting vehicles, 183 armoured personnel carriers, 1,622 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,629 motor vehicles, 389 artillery guns, 44 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 16 anti-aircraft missile launchers, eight transport-loading vehicles, 100 EW stations, 14 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 32 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, nine armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.19 It is currently impossible to determine the real number of people killed in Mariupol, but according to information, the Russians killed about 20,000 people in the city. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Salli.
According to the head of state, the Russians have taken thousands of people captive. Ukraine has managed to return 4,000, but thousands of people remain in Russian captivity.
20.25 American leader Donald Trump can end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine faster than anyone else, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
19:55 Passport control has been introduced on the Crimean Bridge. Everyone leaving for the temporarily occupied peninsula is being checked.
17:47 Since the beginning of the day, the total number of combat clashes along the entire front line has increased to 123. In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy attacked the positions of the Ukrainian military 32 times.
17.30 Russian drones attacked Kharkov for the fourth time. The facade of a multi-storey building was damaged, several cars were damaged.
16.55 As a result of a UAV strike carried out by Russian military on the Kholodnogorsk district of Kharkiv, three people were injured. Two women and one man received medical assistance on the spot.
16.22 SBU special forces played the Squid Game with the occupiers. The video of the liquidation of Russian soldiers was published by the SBU press service.
"The operators of the strike drones of the Special Operations Center A of the SBU have established simple rules: whoever gets into the sights of their drone loses. Thus, 468 occupiers "dropped out" of this game in a week," the description under the video says.
14.46 US military aid to Ukraine has not been stopped. And it is too early to comment on the US State Department's decision on other aid. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a briefing in Kyiv.
14.24 Russian aggressors have carried out three drone strikes on Kharkiv. There are known casualties. The city may experience power and water shortages, warned Mayor Igor Terekhov.
13.33 MegaFon, one of Russia's largest mobile and Internet operators, has been subjected to a powerful cyberattack by cyber specialists from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Ukrinform reported , citing sources. Residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and many central regions of the Russian Federation complained of interruptions in mobile communications, the Internet, and the poor performance of many mobile services and applications.
13.05 In the Kiev region, as a result of an attack by Russian drones, a 5-year-old child was injured and hospitalized. In two districts of the region, damage was recorded to three multi-story buildings, including 18 apartments. Also, 13 cars were damaged.
12:41 Russian invaders have fired artillery at the city of Nikopol. Two civilians were wounded, the Dnipropetrovsk OVA reported. Several multi-story buildings, a private house, and a car were damaged in the city. The area is still being surveyed.
12:12 The US State Department's orders to suspend foreign aid do not apply to military support for Ukraine. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. The two main programs - PDA and USAI, through which weapons are produced and supplied to Ukraine, continue to function without changes.
10.25 A fire after a drone attack has been extinguished in Cherkasy, but power outages continue. An operational headquarters has been set up in the region. And in Cherkasy, points of invincibility are in effect.
10.02 On Saturday night, Russian aggressors launched two Kh-59/69 guided missiles and 61 drones of different types at Ukraine. Most of the targets were destroyed, the rest were affected by electronic warfare, the Ukrainian Air Force reported . The downed enemy UAVs caused damage in the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Khmelnytsky regions.
09.05 Russian aggressors attempted to launch a missile attack on the port of Yuzhny in the Odessa region, but Ukrainian sailors intercepted the enemy Kh-59 missile. It was launched by a fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft, the Ukrainian Navy reported.
08.46 Over the past 24 hours, 211 combat clashes occurred on the front. Russian troops attacked most of all in the Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in the morning report.
08.21 Five civilians have been rescued from a house damaged by an attack by enemy drones in the Kiev region. This was reported by the State Emergency Service . It was indicated that due to the attack by enemy drones in the city of Vyshneve near Kiev, balconies of a residential building from the 5th to the 9th floors were destroyed.
07.58 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian army lost 1,650 soldiers killed and wounded at the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the morning report . Ukrainian troops destroyed about 200 units of Russian equipment, including seven tanks and almost 40 armored vehicles.
07.22 Cherkasy region and the city of Cherkasy were attacked by Russian drones on Saturday night. There is a partial power outage in the regional center, said the head of the Cherkasy OVA Igor Taburets. All necessary services are working on site.
04.22 In the Kiev region, as a result of an enemy attack in one of the settlements of the region, a 9-story residential building was damaged. The balconies of the 4th-8th floors were destroyed. Information about victims was not received. Also in another area, as a result of falling debris from a shot down target, a production facility caught fire on an area of 600 sq. m. The fire was extinguished.
00.20 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued new instructions to pause spending on most existing foreign aid grants for 90 days. Politico, citing a current State Department official and two former Biden administration officials, wrote that the 90-day pause would likely halt aid to key allies such as Ukraine, Jordan, and Taiwan. However, a Voice of America journalist, citing Pentagon sources, denied Politico's information about a pause in aid to Ukraine. According to him, the order does not apply to military support.
[IsraelTimes] Jerusalem says Hamas broke truce terms by failing to free civilian woman before soldiers; Hamas official says she is alive, will be released next week
Israel on Saturday said that it would hold off on allowing displaced Paleostinians to return to northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... after it said Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... violated the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal by not freeing female civilian captive Arbel Yehud.
The announcement came after Hamas freed four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — despite the deal stipulating that all living civilian women be freed before the soldiers.
A source in Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , which is believed to be holding Yehud, told Al Jazeera that the 28-year-old civilian was a soldier and would be "released according to the deal’s terms."
Following their return to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that after Hamas violated the agreement, which required including Yehud among Saturday’s releases, Israel would delay allowing Paleostinians on foot to return to the northern Gaza Strip.
"Israel has received four female hostage soldiers from the Hamas terrorist group today, and in return will release security prisoners" in accordance with the deal, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... it added, "In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow the passage of Gazooks to the north of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, can be arranged," the statement added.
The decision was reportedly made during security consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday night, soon after Hamas released the names of the four female soldiers it was freeing, but was announced after the release so as not to jeopardize it.
The announcement also meant that the IDF would not withdraw from part of the Netzarim Corridor as scheduled on Sunday. The corridor bisects Gaza from east to west and divides its south from its north.
The Walla news site reported that Israel had asked the Trump administration to demand 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... and Egypt pressure Hamas to release Yehud, citing an Israeli official.
A White House national security spokesperson told The Times of Israel: "We are continuing to push for Arbel Yehud’s release through negotiation channels."
Israel had earlier this week conveyed to Hamas that it expected Yehud — who is thought to be held by fellow terror group Paleostinian Islamic Jihad — to be released this weekend. In November 2023, Yehud had been on the list to be released in the only previous hostage-truce deal, but the deal collapsed before the final scheduled releases.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement on Saturday that Hamas violated the hostage agreement with the release of the four female soldiers before releasing the civilian women. "Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first," he said.
Hagari said Israel would make sure that Yehud — who Israel believes to be alive — was released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her children, adding, "We have heavy concerns for their fate."
He said Israel expected more information on the Bibas family soon. Shiri Bibas is the only other female civilian hostage on the list of 33 yet to be freed in the first phase of the deal.
Hagari also said the military was "committed to the return of" Agam Berger, another surveillance soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and all the other hostages. Berger was the only one of the five remaining female soldiers not released Saturday.
The five are among seven female soldiers kidnapped from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023. One of the kidnapped surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
An official from the Hamas terror group told the Rooters news agency that mediators have been informed that Yehud is alive and will be released next Saturday.
A similar message was conveyed to the Al Jazeera network by the terror group. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... there was no formal announcement from Hamas on the matter and it was not clear why they did not release her as scheduled.
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that Israel may demand that the Gaza terror groups provide some kind of sign of life or guarantee that Yehud is alive and will be released next Saturday.
However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the Kan public broadcaster said that Israel was in contact with the mediators in a bid to secure Yehud’s release before Saturday.
"We expect that Arbel Yehud will be freed in the next few days, before Saturday. If that happens, Gazooks will be allowed to return to northern Gaza before Saturday," an Israeli source told Kan.
In a statement, Yehud’s family said, "Our hearts filled with joy at the return of Karina, Daniella, Liri and Naama. We are waiting and expecting that the moment we can hug our Arbel will come as soon as possible."
Hamas did later issue an official statement on the continued ban on residents returning to northern Gaza, claiming that Israel was "still delaying the implementation of the terms of the ceasefire" and hostage deal.
"We hold the occupation responsible for any disruption in implementing the agreement and its repercussions on the rest of the stations [of the agreement]," Hamas added, without any mention of Yehud.
Mediator Qatar also didn’t mention Hamas’s violation when it announced what it described as the successful completion of the second weekend of hostage and prisoner releases.
"As part of the second exchange since the ceasefire began, mediators announce the completion of the handover of 4 Israeli women hostages, one of whom holds a Bulgarian nationality, to the Israeli side in exchange for the release of 200 Paleostinians from Israeli prisons," Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari tweeted.
Paleostinian reported dead after trying to head northward
Following the announcement regarding the delayed return of Gazooks to the north of the strip, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi wrapped up an assessment with the heads of the military’s regional commands.
The IDF said Halevi discussed the military’s preparations in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza and stressed the troops’ readiness to remain there "until further notice."
Later, Paleostinian media reported one dead and several maimed after IDF troops opened fire on Gazooks approaching the Netzarim Corridor area.
One person was killed and several were maimed by Israeli fire on the Salah a-Din road, and some two dozen more were maimed on the coastal road, according to the reports.
The IDF did not immediately comment on the claims.
Under the deal, Israel was to withdraw from the northern half of the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday and allow Paleostinians to return to northern Gaza via the coastal road. On day 22 of the deal, Paleostinians are to be allowed to return via Salah a-Din.
The incident came hours after the IDF reiterated its warning to Paleostinians against returning to northern Gaza from the south via the Netzarim Corridor, where troops are still deployed.
"We confirm that all the instructions we issued are still in effect, especially the ban on approaching the Netzarim Corridor until it is announced that it is open," Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language front man, said on X.
"The instructions will remain in effect until new instructions are issued with the transition to the next stage of the agreement and after Hamas [carries out] its commitments," he said.
Hamas was also expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the 26 remaining hostages on the list later Saturday, including long-sought specifics on which hostages are alive. There was concern in Jerusalem, however, that Hamas might merely provide an overall number of how many of the 26 are alive.
My headline.
[KavkazUzel] A ceremonial wedding of a 13-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy from a Roma family took place in Astrakhan. Representatives of the region's security forces said that the ceremony was symbolic, but Telegram users still criticized the event.
Footage of a wedding in one of the restaurants in Astrakhan has been circulated online. The event was organized by the local Roma community, the newlyweds are children aged eight and thirteen. In the footage, published, in particular, on the Telegram channel "Astrakhan News Today", it is clear that the children are somewhat confused, especially the boy, who seems not to understand what is happening at all.
The event was operated by a well-known wedding operator in Astrakhan, who often films gypsy weddings. It turned out that the wedding in question took place in the summer of 2024, but the event was only made public now. The children were allegedly married right in the restaurant, since registering their marriage is contrary to Russian law, Astrakhan Today reports.
The information about the wedding that appeared on January 23 was responded to by the chairperson of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood Nina Ostanina. She stated that it is necessary to raise the issue of raising children in Roma communities, RIA Novosti writes.
"It seems to me that it is enough to be timid in front of national traditions, which, unfortunately, for some reason are becoming higher than our laws," the publication quotes her as saying.
Ostanina noted that the tradition of creating families from young children is harmful for three reasons - children are deprived of their childhood, cannot get an education, and such weddings do not comply with the laws of the Russian Federation. "We punish parents in non-Gypsy families if they do not raise their children properly. Why do we experience any problems here?" she wonders.
The deputy, however, noted that no one had broken the law in this case, but it was necessary to punish the parents who were depriving the younger generation of the opportunity to receive an education and enjoy childhood. "Where is the children's rights commissioner who should immediately respond to this situation?" she asked.
A representative of the Russian Interior Ministry for the Astrakhan Region stated on January 24 that the wedding ritual between the children was symbolic. According to him, "as a result of the investigation into the circumstances of the wedding ritual between the minors in Astrakhan, it was established that it was symbolic and was not an official marriage registration," Lenta.ru writes.
The agency representative clarified that the children live separately from their parents and will officially formalize their relationship only after reaching the age established by law.
Social media users, however, criticized both the event itself and the police response to it. "For the 'symbolic' wedding of minors, give their parents a symbolic sentence," suggested Dmitry Barsukov, a user of the Astrakhan and AO News Telegram channel.
"Is there any way to control them?" Alexey asks.
"The law must be one and for everyone, without exceptions. Otherwise, it is not a law and the country is not a country," Aleksei Ya is sure.
"And they don't go to school. And they don't serve in the army. And they don't pay taxes. And they give birth at 16. And others are punished for this," White Astra noted.
"I hope our governor will congratulate the young people, wish them more children and a long, happy life. Demography is on the march," Georgy Vasin jokes in the "Astrakhan News Today" chat.
The author of the blog "BERG...man Tbilisi" commented on the underage wedding on the "Caucasian Knot".
"It's not about the Astrakhan region, and it's unlikely that Nina Ostanina only learned today that people of the Gypsy nationality live in Russia and elsewhere - by their own laws, and often a significant part of them don't care about the rules. Because the government either "takes a bribe" or is so indifferent to the Gypsies that they have long since given up on them," he wrote on January 24 in the publication "Children's Wedding" in Astrakhan. - "And what about the Gypsies, for whom the law does not apply?"
Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" wrote that in August 2024, Ilovlya resident Mikhail Zazulin published a video message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin on social media. In the message, he spoke about a two-month conflict between his large family and their neighbors, a Roma family. According to Zazulin, the conflict culminated in an attack by members of the Roma family and their friends on his home.
On August 14, the heads of the Roma families of Ilovlya, after a meeting with the authorities and security forces, apologized to the residents of the village and promised to keep an eye on the youth. On October 10, an attack on police officers was recorded in Ilovlya, security forces reported, and later they announced the arrest of two suspects. The Ilovlinsky District Court remanded the third suspect in the attack on security forces in Ilovlya, who went into hiding after the incident, until December 10.
[CodenamesInfo] The 'Voronezh-Kastorno Offensive Operation' was the Soviet counter-offensive for the recapture of Voronezh (24 January/17 February 1943).
The undertaking was the second of the six sub-operations together constituting the 'Voronezh-Kharkov Strategic Offensive Operation', whose other five elements were the 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation' (13/27 January), the 'Voroshilovgrad Offensive Operation', otherwise 'Skachok' (29 January/18 February), the Kharkov Offensive Operation', otherwise 'Zvezda' (2 February/3 March), the 'Orel (Maloarkhangyel’sk) Offensive Operation' (5/28 February) and the 'Lwów Offensive Operation' (15 February/1 March).
The Germans had captured Voronezh in 1942, and Generalfeldmarschall Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Weichs’s (from 15 July 1942 Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth’s) German 2nd Army of what was now Generaloberst Maximilian Freiherr von Weichs’s Heeresgruppe 'B' had occupied this important bridgehead on the eastern side of the Don river, together with those troops of Vezérezredes Gustáv Jány’s Hungarian 2nd Army which had escaped destruction during the preceding 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation'.
The high successful 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation' had created conditions favourable for the defeat of the Axis forces in the Voronezh and Kastorno sector. Here, on a front of more than 185 miles (300 km), were concentrated the main forces of the German 2nd Army. comprising 12 divisions. As a result of the 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation', these Axis troops were now under Soviet pressure on three sides.
According to the Soviet plan, the 'Voronezh-Kastorno Offensive Operation' was to be a classic encirclement manoeuvre. The settlement of Kastorno and its railway junction, at the base of the German salient, were chosen as the point at which the main weight of the forthcoming Soviet operation was to be applied.
The 13th Army of General Polkovnik Maks A. Reyter’s Bryansk Front and the 38th Army of General Polkovnik Filipp I. Golikov’s Voronezh Front were to attack the village from the north, and the 40th Army of the Voronezh Front from the south. The junction of these forces in the Kastorno area world make it possible to cut off the main forces of the German 2nd Army and to destroy them in the resulting pocket. At the same time, the 60th Army was to attack Voronezh directly from the east, engulfing the city from the south and north and catching the Axis forces in a pincer movement.
The operation was facilitated by the fact that after the 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation', the southern flank of the German 2nd Army was seriously weakened. Positions on the southern face of the salient were occupied by Generalleutnant Friedrich Siebert’s Gruppe 'Siebert' that included Generalleutnant Robert Meissner’s 68th Division and Siebert’s own 57th Division) which had failed in an attempted counterattack during the 'Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive Operation'.
By that time, a situation no less favourable for the Soviets had emerged on the Voronezh Front’s left wing. In the offensive zone of this front’s formations, the Germans lacked the strength for a reliable closure of the gap that had had come into being in this sector of the front. The absence of any large German forces on the area of the Oskol and Seversky Donets rivers offered considerable prospects for the conduct of an offensive toward Kharkov.
The concept of the 'Voronezh-Kastorno Offensive Operation' was based on the notion of encircling and then destroying the bulk of the German 2nd Army with a blow along the axes converging on Kastorno, on freeing the railway linking Yelets and Valuyki, and thus creating the conditions for an offensive against Kursk and Kharkov.
The main blow toward Kastorno was to be delivered by General Major Nikolai P. Pukhov’s 13th Army of the Bryansk Front, as well as General Leytenant Kirill S. Moskalenko’s 40th Army and the IV Tank Corps of the Voronezh Front. In the latter’s sector, two auxiliary attacks were also planned for General Leytenant Nikandr E. Chibisov’s 38th Army and General Major Ivan D. Chernyakovsky’s 60th Army. Air support for the undertaking was the task of General Major Ivan G. Piatykhin’s 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front and part of General Major Konstantin N. Smirnov’s 2nd Air Army of the Voronezh Front.
In total, the two fronts fielded 27 infantry divisions, seven infantry brigades, the entire artillery of the Soviet supreme command reserve, two tank corps, eight separate tank brigades, three separate tank regiments and two separate tank battalions, and it was planned that 72% of the infantry, 90% of the artillery and all of the tank forces would be concentrated on the primary attack axes.
The start of the offensive elements set by the two front commanders was 24 January for the 40th Army, 25 January for the 60th Army, and 26 January for the 38th Army and 13th Army. Except for the 38th Army, which was to attack in a single echelon, the armies were instructed to attack in two echelons.
The artillery preparation for both fronts involved 3,664 pieces of artillery and mortars, and the average artillery densities per kilometre of front in the breakthrough sectors were 92 for the 13th army, 50 for the 38th Army and 60th Army, and 40 for he 40th Army.
The planning for the use of artillery on both fronts was carried out at army level, and the duration of the artillery preparation was to be 65 minutes for the 13th Army, 90 minutes for the 38th Army, 100 minutes for the 60th Army and 30 minutes for the 40th Army. Continued artillery support for the attack was planned in for only 13th Army.
To create artillery support groups for the infantry, each division was reinforced with an average of two or three artillery or mortar regiments.
Army artillery groups were formed in the 13th Army, 40th Army and 60th Army, and included two regiments in the 40th Army and one division for the 13th Army. The 13th Army also created an army rocket artillery group consisting of one artillery division, two rocket artillery regiments and one separate rocket artillery battalion.!
Air support for the 15th Army was 407 serviceable aircraft, and about 120 aircraft were drawn from the 2nd Air Army. The plan for the combat use of the 15th Air Army envisaged an air preparation for the attack in the 13th Army’s breakthrough sector.
In the 13th Army, operating on a 28.5-mile (46-km) front, the strike group was concentrated on an 11.25-mile (18-km) front between the Kshen and Olym rivers. In the strike group’s first echelon there were four infantry divisions, one tank brigade and three tank regiments, and in its second echelon three infantry divisions and the 129th Tank Brigade. The front’s reserve of two infantry divisions and one tank corps was concentrated in the 13th Army’s sector.
In the 38th Army, the strike group was deployed on an 8.75-mile (14-km) front from Kozinka to Ozerka and had two infantry divisions, one tank brigade and one tank battalion, with all of these forces in a single echelon. Behind the shock group in army reserve were one infantry division, a school for junior lieutenants and one tank battalion.
The 60th Army took over from the 40th Army a 13.67-miles (22-km) sector of the front between the Don river and Semidesyatsk, and deployed its strike group on the left flank, on a 7.5-mile (12-km) sector, a first echelon with two infantry divisions, one infantry brigade and three tank brigades; in the second echelon was one infantry division.
The 40th Army operated on a front of 31 miles (50 km) and in its first echelon deployed five infantry divisions, one infantry brigade and one tank brigade; the second echelon comprised three ski and infantry brigades and the 305th Division, which was moving out of the Alekseyevka area into the army’s offensive zone.
The IV Tank Corps took up its initial positions in the area of the 309th Division and 107th Division, and had been allotted the immediate task, together with these divisions, of breaking through the Axis forces' defences and then developing any initial success toward Kastorno. The main forces of the 40th Army were concentrated in the centre on an 18.5-mile (30-km) front with four infantry divisions and all its armoured strength in the first echelon.
The first stage of the operation began on 24 January on the southern flank as the 40th Army and IV Tank Corps attacked. The 40th Army’s offensive developed only slowly. A blinding blizzard reduced the effectiveness of the artillery barrage, and the attackers had to overcome deep snow drifts. Because of the snow’s depth, the fighting was fought mainly along the roads. The Germans, lacking prepared defensive lines, nevertheless offered stubborn resistance in settlements, all of which which had been turned into centres of resistance.
By the morning of the next day, therefore, the 40th Army’s infantry divisions had been able to advance only some 3.1 to 3.7 miles (5 to 6 km). The IV Tank Corps also failed to fulfil its role as it was unable to break away from the infantry units as they all moved along a single road, which was passable only by medium tanks. Therefore, all of the light tanks, as well as wheeled vehicles, lagged behind. Even so, on 25 January the German resistance was broken.
On the morning of 25 January, the front commander demanded that the 40th Army and IV Tank Corps increase the pace of their offensive. The infantry and armour soon broke the enemy’s resistance, and by the end of the day had advanced to a depth of between 12.5 and 15.5 miles (20 to 25 km). The rapidity of the tank and infantry formations' advance threaten to encircle the Axis forces in the area of Voronezh, and the latter began a hasty withdrawal. On the same day Voronezh was liberated.
On 25 January, the 60th Army launched its offensive from the east, and completely cleared Voronezh of German troops.
On 26 January, the offensive on the Soviet forces' northern flank began as the 13th Army and 38th Army moved forward. By this time the weather had improved, and this made it possible for the 15th Air Army to provide a useful level of support. By the end of the day, the German defences had been broken.
By the evening of 26 January, a corridor about 37.25 miles (60 km) wide still remained behind the German troops to the west of Voronezh, but the Soviets saw the opportunity for their armoured forces to seal this possible escape route. On the following day, the 13th Army, 38th Army and 60th Army went onto the offensive. The 13th Army and 38th Army broke through the German defences, and by the end of 27 January had advanced between 6.1 and 12.5 miles (10 and km) in various sectors. The 60th Army’s efforts to advance were less success, its divisions managing to penetrate the German defences to a depth only only between 1.85 and 3.1 miles ((3 and 5 km). At the same time, the 40th Army liberated Gorshechnoye, an important centre of German resistance, and captured the garrison of Stary Oskol in an attack on three sides. On the same day, General Major Andrei G. Kravchenko’s IV Tank Corps, reinforcing the 40th Army, struck out to the north in a deep penetration. As the supply of fuel was hampered by drifting snow, the delivery of fuel for immediate needs was partially undertaken by Polikarpov U-2 light biplane aircraft. By the evening of 27 January, the IV Tank Corps had managed to reach the southern outskirts of Kastorno, which was the rendezvous fixed for the linking of the convergent attack axes. On the following day, the advance detachments of the 13th Army and 38th Arm approached the village from the north and east respectively, and the Soviet assault on the village began. On 29 January, Kastorno was liberated, and thus the communications of eight German and two Hungarian divisions of General Ernst-Eberhard Hell’s VII Corps and General Erich Straube’s XIII Corps were cut.
On 28 January, shock groups of the 13th Army, 40th Army and 38th Army began a rapid advance toward Kastorno, and this was soon cleared of all Axis forces. Thus the encirclement of the Axis forces in the area of Voronezh and Kastorno had been completed.
However, the Soviet forces had not yet been able to establish a continuous front around the Axis group, and no measures had yet been undertaken to destroy the tapped forces. Between Kastornoye and Bykovo, that is the area between the IV Tank Corps in the area of Kastorno and Lachinovo, and the 40th Army’s 25th Guards Division in the area of Bykovo, there was a gap of 15.5 miles (25 km) not occupied by Soviet troops. A gap of the same size also remained between Gorshechnoye and Stary Oskol. On the entire 31-mile (50-km) front between Kastorno and Stary Oskol, there were only overstretched units of the 25th Guards Division. In this situation, the Soviet supreme command ordered Golikov and Reyter to leave only the smallest forces possible to complete the destruction of the encircled Axis forces, and thus to concentrate their efforts in the development of success toward Kursk and Kharkov with their main forces.
Golikov set new tasks for his forces: the 38th Army was to strike at Oboyan, the 40th Army at Belgorod, and the 60th Army at Kursk. Thus the destruction of the trapped Axis forces was relegated to a secondary significance, for it was believed that this task would be completed in a short time by limited forces and without detriment to the pace of the main offensive. Thus only part of the 38th Army was involved and, as a result, no continuous Soviet front could be created round the pocket.
The encirclement of a large Axis force between Kastorno and Voronezh opened the prospect of liberating a large area of Soviet territory, and the Soviet supreme command continued to believe that it was of primary importance for the two fronts to advance deeply before the Axis forces were able to stabilise their front and thus replace that which had just been lost. For this reason, the Soviet forces involved in the operation deployed to the west to attack Stary Oskol, Kursk and Kharkov, leaving the destruction of the Axis pocket to the 38th Army. After it had achieved this, the 38th Army was to join the attack on Kharkov.
This dislocation of the Soviet forces paved the way to a relatively successful break-out by the remnants of the German 2nd Army. On 29 January, they managed to drive the Soviet units from Gorshechny, to the south of Kastorno, and then the break-out from the 'cauldron' was effected by three separate groups. Generalleutnant Helmuth Beukemann’s Gruppe 'von Beukemann' included the remnants of Beukemann’s own 75th Division, Generalleutnant Otto Butze’s 340th Division, Generalleutnant Adolf Lechner’s 377th Division and the Hungarian 6th Division and 9th Division, a total of some 10,000 men; the Gruppe 'Siebert' comprised the remnants of Siebert’s own 57th Division, Generalleutnant Robert Meissner’s 68th Division and Generalmajor Andreas Nebauer’s 323rd Division, a total of about 8,000 men; and Generalleutnant Friedrich Gollwitzer’s Gruppe 'Gollwitzer' comprised the remnants of Generalleutnant Friedrich Wiese’s 26th Division and Gollwitzer’s own 88th Division. The encirclement gradually moved to the west and, as a result, between 12 and 15 February, the battered Gruppe Gollwitzer' and Gruppe 'Siebert' emerged from the encirclement in the area of Oboyan. The Gruppe 'Beukemann' was not as fortunate, for it was cut off and destroyed. Thus, out of an initial strength 125,000 men, fewer than 25,000 men were able to escape from the encirclement. The Axis forces lost all of their supplies and heavy weapons.
While the battle for the encircled formations continued, the 40th Army and 60th Army cleared Belgorod and Kursk, and on 16 February the 38th Army neared Oboyan and by the morning of 18 February had destroyed the remnants of the formations and units which had escaped from the encirclement.
As a result of the 'Voronezh-Kastorno Offensive Operation', a significant force if German and Hungarian divisions had been defeated, and most of the Voronezh and Kursk regions, in particular the cities of Stary Oskol and Voronezh, had been liberated . The German front in this sector had collapsed, and a rent of 250 miles (400 km), between Lieven and Kupyansk, had been torn in it. The German and Hungarian forces lost 'only' 86,000 men taken prisoner. In addition, the encirclement of the Axis forces had made it possible to liberate Kursk and Belgorod with relative ease. In overall terms, the Axis troops had suffered extremely heavy losses, losing vast quantities of equipment and most of their personnel.
The operation had defeated 11 divisions of the German 2nd Army and Vezérõrnagy János Dömötör’s III Corps of the Hungarian 2nd Army, and the Germans finally lost their foothold on the Don river as an advantageous line for defence. The conditions necessary for subsequent offensive operations in the Kursk and Kharkov regions had been created.
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of the pro-Palestinian media platform Electronic Intifada, was just arrested ahead of a scheduled speaking event in Zurich, Switzerland, pic.twitter.com/xSlP11jDNL
Head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, said Abunimah is forbidden entry to Zurich, adding "we do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland."
I’ve read this post several times since Frank G posted it last night, and each time I am shocked anew.
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of the anti-Israel online publication - The Electronic Intifada (EI) - was arrested by Swiss Police ahead of an event in Zurich on Saturday afternoon, according to both the EI and Swiss news site NZZ.
Abunimah allegedly entered Switzerland on Friday, where he was questioned by police before being allowed to enter the country.
EI then reported that American-Palestinian Abunimah was arrested a day later, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and is currently being detained with access to legal counsel.
According to the report by NZZ, Abunimah had been invited to an event held by The Palestine Committee Zurich.
NZZ added that the Zurich police had been notified of Abunimah's planned appearance and submitted a request to Fedpol that he be banned, which was granted.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] Students' Day, or Tatyana's Day, is a widely celebrated holiday in Russia with a long history.
On January 25, we congratulate both those young people who have accepted the challenge of the times, standing up to defend the Motherland, and those who give their free time to work in the rear to increase the combat readiness of the army, performing tasks in the special military operation zone.
"WE NEED TO GET TO OURS"
General mobilization was declared in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics on February 19, 2022, after the situation on the line of combat contact between the units of the DPR and LPR people's militias and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) escalated. Then the Ukrainian military intensified shelling, bringing in additional personnel and military equipment. Donbas men aged 18 to 65 stood up to defend the sovereignty of the republics.
Since February 26, 19-year-old Mikhail Tretyakov, a third-year undergraduate student in the economics department of Donetsk State University (DSU), has also joined the ranks of the Cascade unit of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR.
In one military collective of the unit there were both mobilized soldiers, among them four students, and already experienced fighters. The "old men" treated the new recruits with understanding, even helped to get equipment. However, it also did not go without friendly jokes addressed to the young fighters, traditional in the soldier environment.
The conscripts received virtually no combat training due to the need for immediate assistance to the troops operating in the Mariupol direction. The young fighters were shown the basics of handling weapons in just two days, and on March 1 they went into battle.
The unit in which Mikhail served was supposed to fight saboteurs in the liberated territory. But the liberation of Mariupol had already begun, so he was soon transferred to the 1st assault company, which participated in urban battles on the left bank of the Kalmius River.
On the afternoon of March 28, 2022, Mikhail looked death in the eye but managed to survive.
"We were in the ravine in less favorable conditions, since the enemy position on the opposite slope was higher. They saw us well, but we, especially when it was sunset and the sun was shining in our direction, did not see them at all. At that moment, the sniper and machine gunner began working, and the main part of our group went for ammunition. The door of the house where we were located faced the enemy, who opened fire as soon as they noticed movement," Mikhail told IA Regnum.
A neighboring group came to the rescue, opening fire on the enemy, who was in concrete shelters, practically blindly. Thanks to this, Mikhail and his senior comrade were able to get out to their own. They were escaping from the fire, being literally in the palm of the enemy's hand.
"We had to walk through shelled yards. The whistle of bullets, everything falling nearby. It's hard to convey what emotions there were. There was only one thing in my head: I had to reach our people. Consider it your second birthday today, said a comrade. Then our two groups united and took a more advantageous position on the house above. We became a screen to prevent the enemy from counterattacking our units on the flank and rear. We held this position for a week," he shares his memories.
Subsequently, Mikhail was concussed and awarded the medal "For the Liberation of Mariupol". In the summer of 2022, after treatment in the hospital, he was demobilized from military service. Now Mikhail Tretyakov continues his studies at two faculties of DonSU: economics and law.
THE MOST HUMANE PROFESSION
First-year student of the Belgorod Medical Institute Danila Borisov took an academic leave after the start of the SVO and arrived in the combat zone at the end of 2022. He served as a medical instructor of the 1st rifle battalion of the 9th separate assault brigade, which fought near Avdiivka.
Even basic medical knowledge can save a person's life, Danila told IA Regnum. Desmurgy and bandaging skills were very well trained by college teachers.
In his practice, he most often had to deal with mine-explosive injuries and shrapnel wounds. "About 60% are shrapnel wounds, 20% are bullet wounds, the rest are contusions," the source told the publication.
Danila Borisov spent more than a year in the SVO zone. Now the future therapist is a second-year student at his institute.
KURSK VOLUNTEERS
In August 2024, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the territory of the Kursk region, managing to capture the border area and several settlements. Alexander Fetisov, a student of the Faculty of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication of South-West State University, a cadet of the regional military training center, has been working at the site of the United Humanitarian Warehouse of the "People's Front" since the first days of the invasion.
During a shift, cadets make about 70 trench or dugout candles from tin cans and cardboard. One of the units to which YUZGU transfers this product is fighting in the Glushkov direction in the Kursk region.
A law student and head of the student volunteer movement "Indigo YUZGU" Zulfina Aliyeva organized a point for weaving camouflage nets at her university. According to her, the nets are woven not only by students and teachers, but also by caring people who want to help the army.
"This is work that requires patience. Everything depends on the weaving technique. We show beginners the simplest method of weaving with a zigzag. There is nothing complicated about it. About ten people can weave a 3x6 meter net in two days. Sometimes we manage to do it in a day," the interlocutor of IA Regnum shared.
UNIVERSITIES FOR THE FRONT
There are currently over 8 million students studying in Russian universities and colleges. In the spring of 2023, the “Universities for the Front!” campaign was launched in Russia on the initiative of the university community, supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
More than 500 educational institutions across the country took part in it. During this time, the fighters on the front lines in the special operation zone received over a thousand tons of various goods collected by Russian students. Including personal hygiene products, food, cars and even special equipment - snow and swamp vehicles.
In some universities, pilot production facilities have emerged where teachers, students and graduates manufacture sapper “cats”, potbelly stoves, antennas and drones, which have become a symbol of modern warfare.
Many universities regularly send cargo directly to the front. And a logistics hub has been created at the National Research University MPEI, through which centralized supplies are sent to the troops. A considerable part of them is sent to the heroic "winged infantry" - soldiers and officers of the airborne troops.
[TCW] We have decided to republish all our articles since The Conservative Woman began in 2014 on the Pakistani rape gangs, the failure of successive administrations to root them out, right the wrongs of the victims, or to face up to their own discriminatory multicultural and racism policies that provided such fertile ground for this criminality. The articles will appear from today in chronological order, providing a daily reminder to those in power that nothing less than a statutory public inquiry, including a remit to investigate a near 25-year cover-up and collusion between national and local government, is a sufficient response to the shocking betrayal of thousands of young white girls. Today’s article was first published on August 27, 2014.
IT’S ALMOST beyond parody, but the motto of Rotherham Council emblazoned on all its communications with the outside world is that it is a metropolitan borough ’where everyone matters.’ The grubby, right-on fingerprints of New Labour’s approach to ’public relations’ are all over the phrase. Let’s put the abuse figure into context. According to the Rotherham Children’s Safeguarding Board 2012-13 annual report, there are 62,400 children in the area. Of the total, 49 percent are female, so that means almost one in 20 girls in the town was subject to abuse. Actually, the percentage is slightly higher because the figures also cover the 16-18 age bracket.
Alexis Jay, a prominent social worker in Scotland at the highest levels, minces no words in her totally shocking ’Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham’. What was being wickedly perpetrated on these vulnerable girls should have been glaringly obvious to all the relevant public-purse agencies from police to social services. But individually and collectively, they did nothing, other than frequently pour scorn on those who tried to report their torment.
The reason? Obviously, there were many, but to me one paragraph leaps out beyond all others in the Jay report. It’s this: ’By far the majority of perpetrators were described as "Asian" by victims, yet throughout the entire period, councillors did not engage directly with the Pak-heritage community to discuss how best they could jointly address the issue. Some councillors seemed to think it was a one-off problem, which they hoped would go away. Several staff described their nervousness about identifying the ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist; others remembered clear direction from their managers not to do so.’
In other words, incalculable misery has been caused because the authorities that should have cared about human welfare and bringing to justice these Asian gangs thought it was far more important not to be seen as racist.
As I write these words, I am incandescent with rage that this is happening in Britannia. How can it be that those alleged public servants who are paid vast sums and provided with lavish pensions to protect the vulnerable could so blatantly prioritize issues of race above dealing with the unspeakable crimes detailed in the report?
Already the sound of wriggling off the multiple hooks in the report can be heard. True, the leader of Rotherham Council has resigned, and true, Ms. Jay says there have been recent improvements in children’s safeguarding.
But elsewhere, the signs are that former children’s minister Tim Loughton’s demand that everyone involved in this horrendous scandal should resign is being ignored. With total brass-neck effrontery, the police commissioner involved has apologized that it happened on his watch, but says he will carry on.
And on past form, he will. It was Rotherham Council, let us not forget, which in 2012 became embroiled in another major scandal centered on racism when its social services department decided that two perfectly loving and qualified adults could not continue to provide foster care for Eastern European children because they were members of UKIP.
The woman at the center of that scandal was Joyce Thacker, Rotherham’s strategic director of children’s and young people’s services. At the time, she defended the decision. Her position was that anyone opposed to uncontrolled Eastern European immigration could not be a loving parent.
Two years on, she is still in post, and now there is irrefutable evidence from the Jay report that the decision was not taken in isolation — those responsible for children’s services and protection in Rotherham (they are listed on p38-39 of the Safeguarding Board’s annual report) — seemingly put fears about being branded racist ahead of the well-being of children.
Multiculturalism was the mantra of New Labour when they were elected in 1997, the year when this catalogue of abuse began. What’s massively clear from the report — and the lesson we must all digest — is that this creed of political correctness has introduced a vicious cancer into our public institutions and into the mindset of our public servants.
Yes, racism is a poison. But the pursuit of multiculturalism leads to consequences that are far, far worse.
#2
Ali though Americans are appalled at this, we are about to see what happened to 80K of the 300k kids that the Biden Admin lost track of. If there is no report on what happened to the kids, then I will assume the outcome and coverup is worse.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2025 9:37
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Paleostine
...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...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 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel...
...
...a 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
