Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

October 2023

by Oui Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:40:23 PM EST

Your take on today's news media


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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:41:05 PM EST
consilium.europa.eu | Invitation letter by President Charles Michel to the members of the European Council ahead of their informal meeting on 6 October 2023, 2 Oct
...Granada is the time to look back and critically assess progress in strengthening our European sovereignty, identifying our achievements as well as areas that still require our political action....
Juncker: Ukraine is totally corrupt, 5 Oct
..."You shouldn't make false promises to the people in Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering," Juncker said. "I am very angry about some voices in Europe who are telling Ukrainians that they can become members immediately."...
< wipes tears >
aljazeera | European Union leaders meet in Granada to discuss enlargement, migration, 6 Oct
[...]
Michel said new member countries should be welcomed in by 2030. Last month, the presidents of Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania also said that enlargement should happen "not later than 2030". But EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has insisted that "accession is merit-based". She says the progress these countries make in aligning their laws with EU rules and standards should dictate the pace of membership rather than some arbitrary deadline. The bureaucratic pace of aligning with thousands of EU rules can sometimes take well over a half-dozen years.
[...]
Opening remarks by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with President Michel and Prime Minister Sánchez following the informal meeting of Heads of State or Government of 6 October 2023 (06.10.23)
To these core elements I was just describing, we need to add two more: The first is the crucial issue of managing migration. And the second is the enlargement process to a European Union of 30+ members. The accession process to the European Union is merit-based. This was very clear also today in our discussion: no shortcuts, no automated accession to the European Union. Merit-based. But it is not only for the candidate countries to work on this merit-based process. We also have to do our own homework, so that we are also ready—in case candidate countries are ready to join—to welcome them to the European Union.
msn reuters | EU leaders back bigger union but avoid date, warn against short cuts, 6 Oct
..."What's important is to stop procrastinating," [EUCO pres. Charles] Michel told a news conference at the end of the summit. But other leaders have been cool on the idea, saying the focus should be on candidate countries meeting EU standards...
consilium.europa.eu | The Granada declaration, 6 Oct
archive EU Willing to Pick Up the Tab in UA Laboratory, Ukraine's accession would cost €186B, EU estimates in Reactionary Visions and eNtiTiES, © Group of Twelve 18 Sep monograph
by Cat on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 11:47:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Granada is the time to look back and critically assess progress in strengthening our European sovereignty ....

😂 😂 😂. Unbelievable bull ... EU lost it all ... slave and mercenary of the USA strengthened.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 07:35:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
F24 | Poland's election result on a knife edge as opposition claims victory, 15 Oct
The Ipsos exit poll suggested that the opposition together has likely won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm. Law and Justice, according to the projection, obtained 200 seats, while the far-right Confederation got 12 seats.

"I am the happiest man on earth," [The Donald] Tusk said. "Democracy has won. Poland has won."
[...]
Support for[PiS] has shrunk since the last election in 2019 amid high inflation, allegations of cronyism and bickering with European allies. Law and Justice won nearly 44% of the vote in 2019, but has been polling in recent weeks at more than 30%.

Others see economic threats in the way the party has governed and believe that high social spending has helped to fuel inflation.There is also a high level of state ownership in the Polish economy, and the governing party has built up a system of patronage, handing out thousands of jobs and contracts to its loyalists. The EU, whose funding has driven much of the economic transformation, is withholding billions in funding to Poland over what it views as democratic erosion.

The fate of Poland's relationship with Ukraine is also at stake. The Confederation party campaigned on an anti-Ukraine message, accusing the country of lacking gratitude to Poland for its help in Russia's war. While Poland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and a transit hub for Western weapons, relations chilled over the Ukrainian grain that entered Poland's market.

Axel | Opposition wins Polish election, according to exit poll, illustrated
...The three leading opposition parties would have 248 seats in parliament, while PiS and Confederation would have 212.
[...]
Once the vote count is finalized, the next move belongs to President Andrzej Duda, who has said that presidents traditionally choose a member of the largest largest party to nominate as prime minister and to take the first crack at forming a government.....
wpolityce.pl | Lies and manipulations did not give Tusk victory. Forming a government will be very difficult. Operation Destabilization will return, peaceful transfer of power
Record attendance is encouraging. This shows that the majority of voters have realized that their vote has meaning and real significance for the fate of the country. He is only concerned about how this consciousness was directed, because the scale of collective manipulation and lies was incredibly strong in this campaign. The left-liberal media, the ruthless social engineering of Donald Tusk and his party, the strong support of EU leaders and the anti-Putin actions of many NGOs led to the mobilization of the opposition electorate. However, despite such extensive efforts, Donald Tusk could not defeat law and justice.
[....]
tabloid ONET | Journalists of the "state of emergency" about the results of the exit poll.
..."They were running an unsuccessful campaign. PiS took the anti-Ukrainian electorate away from them, the National electorate did not mobilize, and showed Petro that Mentzen is not an expert," the Newsweek journalist said....
archive Poland: In Defense of Our Freedom
by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 11:04:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EU troops storm the beaches as bloc aims to be military player
This week in the south of Spain, the European Union is holding its first live military exercise -- an effort to show the world it's a serious security and defense player that can operate without NATO. Air, land and maritime armed forces from nine EU countries will land on a beach to rescue a fictitious European ally called Seglia that's asking for help to deal with a rapidly deteriorating security situation caused by a violent extremist group.
by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 08:44:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
t-online.de | Germany is apparently moving special forces near Israel, 18 Oct
In order to be prepared for an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East, the Bundeswehr and the Federal Police are apparently deploying special forces. They are now reportedly in Cyprus.

Bundeswehr special forces were deployed to Cyprus in order to be able to evacuate German citizens from Middle Eastern countries under military protection in an emergency. This is reported by, among others, the Editorial Network Germany (RND), citing Bundestag circles.

dw | KSK: German army elite force and its links to the far-right (13.12.22)
Members of the KSK, the special forces command, were relocated to the region . According to information from the "Bild" newspaper, the navy's special forces are also on site. The forces are now prepared , especially in the event that the conflict expands and Germans have to be taken out of Lebanon. According to RND, the embassies in Israel and neighboring countries have also been reinforced with crisis support teams, which also include special forces.

Also relocated GSG-9 forces
Military evacuation means that armed force may be used in an emergency and Parliament must then give its approval - possibly even afterwards. The current steps are measures as part of the so-called national crisis preparedness for the protection and security of German citizens abroad , reports the RND.
[...]

by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 03:03:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

TASS. Let "EU multi-stage European integration" out of the bag

aftershock.news HTML transcription of the article for browser translation

[...]
"Long before Russia's special military operation, the European Union tried to take over various formats of interaction on the European continent. Moreover, in the traditional understanding of Brussels, the European Union and Europe are one and the same, "EEA" and "European" are synonymous for them. At the same time, tectonic changes affected international relations in general and the pan-European architecture in particular, which included, among other things, the Council of Europe, a number of regional organizations, the NATO-Russia Council, and the OSCE. After the start of the SVR, the agenda of these formats began to be overly politicized and Ukrainized. This has paralyzed the work of most forums, and made our participation in some of them impossible," the Russian diplomat said.

"Against such a difficult, toxic background, theThe European Political Community [ENP] is being formed with a view to turning it—if not immediately, but over time—into a pan-European political structure. And the main "plus" for Westerners is that all the countries of this "Europe" will be cut off from Russia and Belarus. Probably, this is exactly the" architecture "that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had in mind when speaking on October 5, 2023 at the third ENP summit in Granada," he continued.
[...]
"The period of formation of the European Political Community coincided with the beginning of intra-EU discussions about expanding the bloc while simultaneously reforming it. In this context, if we proceed from the analytical report on the future of the EU prepared in September 2023 (developed at the initiative of France and Germany-approx. TASS), the ENP is prepared to function as an "outer circle"—a contour for political cooperation without mandatory compliance with EU legislation and access to the single market. Thus, this community is intended to become a kind of platform for the European Union to test a model of relations with countries that are at different stages of the accession process, but are united by the desire to join, as they like to call it here, the "European family", in fact, by the willingness to give part of their own national sovereignty to Brussels," said the head of the Russian mission to the EU.

"At the moment, the ENP as a format is not institutionalized in any way, and the states participating in it are not bound by any formal obligations. However, all this is only a matter of time. The ideas promoted by the EU members to replace the existing pan-European formats of interaction with new structures without Russia's participation contradict the principle of indivisible, equal security, and therefore undermine stability and security in the region," the Russian diplomat concluded.
[...]

oh. dear. © Group of Twelve, 18 Sep monograph
by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 03:52:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Axel | EU Parliament chief to Ukraine: You should have `observer' MEPs while you wait to join the bloc, 24 Oct
...Observer MEPs for Ukraine and Moldova would not have voting powers and be nominated rather than elected; but they would have seats in the institution, which will in any case grow from 705 to 720 members after the June 2024 European election. "We will have to see when it happens, at which point do they become eligible for that," Metsola said. According to the Parliament's rules, only when a formal accession treaty is signed can observer MEPs take up their seats, meaning this could still be years away....
archive "countries should be free", ELECTION 2024, Macron's idea for a two-tier Europe in Expelling Russia, Enlarging and deepening,
by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 02:58:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
yahoo! Ukrayinska Pravda | Biden wants to ask Congress for largest aid package for Ukraine worth US$100 billion, 7 Oct United States for Europe
Source: The Telegraph with reference to sources
Details: Biden considers a "one-and-done" bill on financing the aid for Ukraine until the next presidential elections, trying to overcome an impasse with Republicans.

Some officials believe that adopting a single package of up to $100 billion may give Biden's administration the best chance to facilitate the financing of the aid for Ukraine before the presidential elections set to be held in the US next November. This step will allow tge government to avoid further debate in the Congress concerning the spending on Ukraine next year.
[...]
The US administration representative told The Telegraph that the White House "does not adopt any decisions on whether to make one big package and what the sum will be" until the end of the elections for the new speaker who will replace McCarthy which will start on 11 October. Yet the big package for financing the aid for Ukraine until November 2024 is "one of the options" that are being considered.
[...]
According to a representative of the President's administration, Bien plans a "big" speech concerning Ukraine, trying "to unite America as to why it is so important to support Ukraine, and how much is at stake". The date of the speech has not been set yet but it will likely take place after the next speaker of the Chamber of Representatives is chosen.

pravda | Telegraph: Biden wants to request $100 billion from Congress for Ukraine
by Cat on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 at 09:46:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
archive Fri Sep 22nd 2023, Tue Sep 26th 2023

strana | Ukraine for the first time used ATACMS, which were secretly transferred to it the other day-WSJ, 17 Oct
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources.

According to them, a small number of missiles were secretly transferred to Ukraine in recent days, which should strengthen Kiev's ability to launch long-range strikes against Russian forces during an important stage of the counteroffensive. The publication does not provide other details, but clarifies that the ATACMS modification received by Ukraine has a range of up to 160 kilometers.

Today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that at night they destroyed nine Russian helicopters of various modifications at airfields in occupied Berdyansk and Luhansk. Special equipment, an air defense launcher, an ammunition depot were also damaged, and the runways of airfields were damaged.

Russian military telegram channels reported that US ATACMS missiles hit Russian airfields near occupied Berdyansk and Luhansk. They also published photos of rocket wreckage.

EC €186B sideshows
APU will be able to write off weapons lost in battle in two weeks instead of six months
Zelensk*, Akhmetov, the State Department or the FSB. Who leads Alexey Arestovich to the polls
"Election risk Finally, the question is: will there be any elections at all before the end of the war?"
by Cat on Tue Oct 17th, 2023 at 02:52:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Karl Lueger dual-use edition
RT | US state media editor detained in Russia
Russian law enforcement has detained Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor from the US state-run media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), over failing to register as a foreign agent and gathering sensitive military data, two sources reported on Thursday.

According to both RFE/RL and the local news agency Tatar Inform, Kurmasheva was apprehended in the city of Kazan, central Russia. She normally lives in Prague.

Tatar Inform claims in its report, citing a source familiar with the matter, that investigators believe that in September 2022, Kurmasheva, who holds both Russian and US passports, was "deliberately gathering military data on Russia's activities to further transfer it to foreign sources," which could potentially undermine national security. According to the source, the editor is believed to have obtained data about several local university professors who had been allegedly mobilized amid the Ukraine conflict. She then proceeded to use this information to compile "alternative analytical materials" for foreign institutions to discredit Russia, the news agency claims.

The authorities also reportedly believe that Kurmasheva violated Russian law, as she failed to provide the necessary documents to be listed as a foreign agent. The charge can carry a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 300,000 rubles ($3,000).
[...]

reuters | Russia detains Radio Free Europe journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship
"Russia has tightened its control over the media since the start of the Ukraine war, forcing the closure of leading independent news outlets and designating many journalists and publications as 'foreign agents'."

AP | Russian-American journalist charged in Russia with failing to register as a foreign agent
"A Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, according to her employer....The Committee to Protect Journalists said she was charged with failing to register as a foreign agent in her capacity as a person collecting information on Russian military activities. It cited local authorities saying the information 'could be used against the security of the Russian Federation.'"

archive Committee to Protect Journalists, Israel Visa Waiver Program, Dzhemilev accompanied Zelensk*, BRICS XVI Summit preppers, Kazan the Capital of Muslim Republic of Tatarstan, BRICS Chairmanship in 2024, House of Odious - timing in A Good Year for Joe Biden's Impeachment, Wrist Slap Plea Bargain in Ukrainian Scam of the Biden Family, EU condemns Georgia's 'foreign agents' law in European Betrayal of Minsk Agreements, January 2023 passportization, "I decide who is a Jew"

by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 01:15:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
voiceofeurope | The creation of a "Ukrainian party" in Poland could have negative consequences
18 Oct - Do Rzeczy [!]
...The author writes that a few months ago, the head of the Civil Network for Human Rights "OPORA," Olga Ayvazovska [alias Olha Aivazovska], calculated that the most politically and socially active Ukrainian diasporas are in Poland, the USA, and Germany.

"The reason is simple - the more Ukrainians in a given country, the higher their level of activity," as the article's author clarified.

In the next five years, several hundred thousand Ukrainians will become Polish citizens with political rights and the potential to influence the situation in the country, not always in a positive way....

msn newsqueek | Polish Election Offers Hope to Ukraine, 16 Oct
...Officials in Kyiv were perturbed by rising Polish acrimony in the run-up to this weekend's election, with a dispute over Ukrainian westward grain exports devolving into a wider spat with PiS leaders. The standoff came as a shock given PiS' role as one of Kyiv's most hawkish backers during Russia's invasion, with Poland serving as a key provider of military aid, a conduit for NATO weapons heading east, and a loud pro-Ukrainian voice within the EU....
Elections Without Political Competition During the War Time Will Only Produce Fake Democracy, 4 Oct Warsaw Security Forum, H2O2 @ 03:05:41
According to the expert, Ukrainian civil society, specifically over a hundred of CSOs signed a joint statement declaring that no double standards games shall be played during the war. "We cannot run electoral processes without securing freedoms because such elections will not be free and fair as a huge number of people are not going to be included in the process. We have 7 166 mln people staying out of country - and it is a huge challenge to engage them. I do not only mean the formal voting process because it is a rather technical matter. It is vital to have them included into election campaign: to run as candidates, to promote their vision of the country's recovery and growth, to design returnee support programs, to have a representative parliament when 20% of Ukrainian people stay abroad. It is a new challenge for us to address. Moreover, we have over 5 mln internally displaced persons. They are highly mobile within the country. In addition, we have over 1 mln members of the military who are now in combat. They cannot be included on the voting stage only, without being able to participate in all political processes. After all, they are the new elite in Ukraine. we also have volunteers who are working on a daily basis to serve their society to help the country survive," said Aivazovska....
by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 07:10:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ukranews | Over 330 Ukrainians awaiting evacuation from Gaza Strip - Ambassador, 23 Oct
Yevhen Korniychuk, announced this on Radio Svoboda.

"337 citizens of Ukraine agreed for evacuation today. And our representative in Palestine just informed that another family of six people is preparing documents. But I think that probably half a thousand of our citizens are there. Not all of them agreed to leave [!]. The situation is very complicated. Unfortunately, we are completely powerless here, as the embassy, to do anything to help. In addition, to form these lists, transfer them to the Israeli and Egyptian sides for agreement, and faithfully wait for the evacuation. We hope that the Rafah checkpoint will be open to foreign citizens in the next few days, maybe even tomorrow," he said.

pravd.com.ua | Ukrainian Foreign Minister comments on dual citizenship in Ukraine, 23 Oct
Details: Kuleba is convinced of the need to introduce multiple citizenship, because "we should not be guided by the fear of distributing other people's passports in Ukraine, but by the power of the Ukrainian passport in Ukraine and in the world".
The deputy and an accomplice organized an illegal transfer of men abroad (23.10.23)
...Later, law enforcement officers conducted searches at two residential addresses of the defendants in the criminal proceedings, as a result of which they seized more than 20 thousand euros and 4.8 thousand US dollars, SIM cards, mobile phones, bank cards and draft records. In addition, 2 cars were seized from the defendants....
He said that the state should open up the possibility for millions of Ukrainians abroad to keep their Ukrainian passports or obtain them, and accept that after joining the European Union, Ukrainian passports will have the same status as passports of neighbouring European states.
archive K*v regime looking for new soldiers among Ukrainian refugees abroad
"Of course, this policy should be implemented reasonably: gradually, starting with friendly allied countries. And, of course, any dual citizenship with the aggressor state or unfriendly countries should be prohibited," Kuleba added.
archive its multinational composition, When Russia weaponized passports ..., occupiers forcing Zaporizh* NPP workers to obtain Russian passport, Ukraine Passport to travel to Berlin..., More Irish than UK passports, Ukraine of all nationalities
by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 09:00:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
18 Months contract is over, our husbands need to come home ...

War-weary mothers, wives and children of Ukrainian soldiers demand a cap on military service time | Los Angeles Times |

KYIV, Ukraine --  Scores of protesters gathered on the streets of Ukrainian cities on Friday to demand a cap of 18 months on mandatory military service, amid new suggestions of possible Ukrainian and international weariness with the 20-month war with Russia.

Both the warring sides are striving to keep their military momentum, though neither side is able to land a knockout blow, and the fighting is expected to drag on deep into next year.

The 18-month service limit would be the same maximum as before the war. It is currently open-ended for draftees. The protesters, who are part of a loose national network, want the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, to consider possible alternatives on service time.

About 100 wives, mothers, children and relatives of Ukrainian soldiers attended a demonstration in the capital, Kyiv.

They chanted, "Demobilize the soldiers," and carried banners calling for the return of their loved ones. "Why is Dad not coming back?" asked one placard carried by a child.

"I live in constant fear for his life," Valeriia Koliada, 35, said of her husband, who volunteered for the military.

"It's nerve-racking for me. He is tired as well," she said. "We are a young family. I also want to have a child and sleep calm at night."

Italian PM discussed fatigue over Ukraine in prank call with Russian comedians | Kyiv Independent |

"There is a lot of tiredness on all sides ... The moment is approaching when everyone will understand that we need a way out ... Ukraine's counteroffensive is not going as expected ... It has not changed the fate of the conflict, and everyone understands that [the conflict] could last many years if we don't find a solution. The Ukrainians are doing what they have to do and we are trying to help them."

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Nov 4th, 2023 at 10:20:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
wapoo | Ukrainian spies with deep ties to CIA wage shadow war against Russia, 23 Oct
...These operations have been cast as extreme measures Ukraine was forced to adopt in response to Russia's invasion last year. In reality, they represent capabilities that Ukraine's spy agencies have developed over nearly a decade—since Russia first seized Ukrainian territory in 2014—a period during which the services also forged deep NEW! bonds with the CIA.
run-on sentence alert
The missions have involved elite teams of Ukrainian operatives drawn from directorates that were formed, trained and equipped in close partnership with the CIA, according to current and former Ukrainian and U.S. officials. Since 2015, the CIA has spent tens of millions of dollars to transform Ukraine's Soviet-formed services into potent allies against Moscow, officials said. The agency has provided Ukraine with advanced surveillance systems, trained recruits at sites in Ukraine as well as the United States, built new headquarters for departments in Ukraine's military intelligence agency, and shared intelligence on a scale that would have been unimaginable before Russia illegally annexed Crimea and fomented a separatist war in eastern Ukraine. The CIA maintains a significant presence in Kyiv, officials said.
exhale
The extent of the CIA's involvement with Ukraine's security services has not previously been disclosed. U.S. intelligence officials stressed that the agency has had no involvement in targeted killing operations by Ukrainian agencies, and that its work has focused on bolstering those services' abilities to gather intelligence on a dangerous adversary. A senior intelligence official said that "any potential operational concerns have been conveyed clearly to the Ukrainian services."....
oh
archive Langley, VA, USA-Warszawa, Polska mirror sites, Anti-Terrorist Operations 2014 in No Peace In Sight, a generation of unrequited "terrorist"activity, Ukrainian resistance[/ guerillas/Special Ops] in Casualty
by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 05:16:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
strana | The Ministry of Digital Development announced "smart mobilization" for a drone operator by-passing military registration and enlistment offices, 30 Oct self-service app
This was stated by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
- The war with Russia is likely to drag on indefinitely. How ready is Ukraine technologically for this? In what other areas do Russians predominate among us and how do we make up for this gap?
- There is definitely a transformation in this direction right now. I see such key components for myself. First, there are more startups and military projects that can realize themselves in the new wartime economy. And to do this, we created the Brave1 cluster. If you have an idea, you want to get a grant to start this idea, apply, there is a certain board, it considers applications, gives irrevocable grants, there is an opportunity to get in touch with the General Staff, with the Ministry of Defense. In other words, this institution has already been created, and it will work. Almost 700 applications have already been submitted by startups, and more than a million dollars have received grants. Next year, funding for this program will increase tenfold.
[...]
"We will launch a pilot for drone operators, and this person chooses that they want to become a drone operator, or even serve in a drone strike company. It can be a sapper, a driver, all the positions will be there. A person will be able to see what kind of unit or company it is, what obligations, what risks you have, how you will study, " said Fedorov. According to him, a person will have to leave an application for a certain specialty on their own, without receiving a summons, pass recruiters, tests, and training, and then they will definitely be able to get into the drone company for the position for which they have mobilized themselves.
[...]
"There are people who may want to be stormtroopers or hold other positions. But they want to understand: I am led by a professional person, when I am in the trench, there will be a drone above me, there will be armored vehicles nearby, my manager will take care of my life and he will have accurate high-quality situational awareness, for him my life is the most important thing, and he will take care of it, and I will have there will be confidence in this leader," said Fedorov.
by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 03:38:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
voiceofeurope | Serious issues found in Ukrainian grain entering the European market - Parlamentni Listy, 17 Oct
The Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic is warning about Ukrainian grain, which is increasingly making its way into the European market. During inspections carried out in Poland, it was revealed that out of 73 samples of Ukrainian grain, 17 were contaminated with salmonella, 11 contained genetically modified cereals and 6 had mycotoxins. Additionally, hazardous metals like mercury, cadmium, iron and lead were discovered, as reported by Parlamentni Listy. This discovery is concerning to the Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic because Ukrainian grain may not meet the same strict standards as grain in the European Union, which could seriously harm Czech farmers by lowering grain prices....
reference
Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic
putting a happy face on soggy yield

MY 2023/2024
ukranews | 60% of Ukrainian export grain transits through Romanian territory - Shmyhal, 19 Oct: "In particular, new checkpoints have been opened and four more are planned to be opened in the future."
ukranews | Ukraine reduces grain exports by 32.3% to 7.8 million tons since early marketing year, 19 Oct: "A total of 3,992,000 tons of wheat, 654,000 tons of barley, 0.8,000 tons of rye, and 3,036,000 tons of corn have already been exported. At the same time, during the specified period, the export of wheat flour and flour from other crops increased by 23.6%, or 7,600 tons, to 39,700 tons."

loss and damage REPORT
pravda.com.ua | Ecocide, Kakhovskaya dam and mine clearance. Who was forgotten on " United for Justice. United for Nature", 23 Oct Advantage Ukraine

On October 20-21, a large international conference " United for Justice. United for Nature". There was really a lot of everything and everyone. But I got the impression that this very nature, that is, Nature, for which Ukrainian officials and respectable foreign guests gathered, turned out to be in the role of a forgotten birthday boy.
[...]
There was a separate panel dedicated to the Kakhovka Sea disaster. From what I have heard, only one European guest casually recalled the position of nature conservationists (not Her Own) that the restoration of the dam should take into account the interests of the environment. In other words, the idea that the construction of the dam and the restoration of the reservoir could be another disaster was not voiced or discussed, as far as I was able to hear.

The hall was attended by several scientists who repeatedly went to the site of the former reservoir to see first hand what is happening with nature there. If they were asked, they would say that today, contrary to pessimistic forecasts, a flood plain willow forest has already begun to grow there. And it has a chance to become almost the largest in the south of Ukraine. But no one asked them about it.

< wipes tears >
The other major part of the conference was devoted to legal and related issues. Including ecocide, which is so often remembered today. According to international law, it is impossible to punish Russia for ecocide at all, because the International Criminal Court [ICC] basically "does not know", that is, it does not deal with such a crime. Instead, the Rome statute that guides this court contains several articles that potentially allow Russia to be held accountable for what it does to our nature. Although they do not directly mention "ecocide" or even "nature". One of the biggest problems is that no one in the international judicial practice has ever dealt with such cases before. Ukraine was "lucky" to be the first and set a precedent. The success of our case will determine how such crimes will be investigated in the future.
[...]
archive Bonanza, wastes accumulated over 70 years, EU's first 'ecocide' trial, Ecocrimes of the Russian Federation
by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 08:50:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
gov.mt | Malta to host Ukraine Peace Formula meeting on 28 and 29, 20 Oct
...The talks in Malta will continue the productive work that has already taken place in Copenhagen in June 2023 and in Jeddah in August 2023. In the coming months, the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade will continue to remain committed to diplomatic outreach in support of Ukraine's efforts towards achieving peace within its internationally recognised borders, as well as to secure the broadest possible international support for President Zelensk*'s Peace Formula that was presented to the G20 on 15 November 2022....
ukrainianworldcongress | MALTA TO HOST THIRD PEACE FORMULA SUMMIT, 23 Oct
...High-ranking officials from 40 countries gathered at the second summit in Saudi Arabia in August. The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be preserved—this was the consensus reached by the participants of the Jeddah meeting, the journalists wrote [07.08.23. The first meeting of political advisers was held in Denmark in June but was less successful....
strana | Zelensk* called the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and invited him to the summit on the "formula for peace", 23 Oct
"We also discussed the situation in the Middle East. I stressed the need to prevent further escalation of the conflict and civilian casualties," Zelensk* said.

Earlier, Zelensk* said that more than 50 participants are expected at the summit on the Ukrainian "formula for peace" in Malta, and Turkey has already confirmed its participation. We are talking about a new summit of Ukraine and the West with the countries of the "global South", which Kiev offers to support its vision of ending the war (complete withdrawal of Russian troops as a condition of negotiations).

archive Jeddah Hotel Outreach, 5-6 Aug
by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 01:55:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
bloomberg | China Set to Skip Ukraine Talks as Zelensk* Blueprint Struggles, 26 Oct
...The list of attendees includes the Group of Seven countries, Qatar, South Africa, India, and Turkey, according to people familiar with the matter. Some countries like Brazil and Chile are expected to participate online....
ukrinform | Yermak, Sullivan discuss peace formula, battlefield situation, joint defense production
..."The interlocutors coordinated steps to implement the agreements on joint defense production reached during the [19 Oct phone call] between the two presidents in Washington," the president's press service said.  In addition, the interlocutors reviewed the operational situation in different sectors of the frontline, as well as the results of the use of weapons provided by Ukraine's allies to repel the Russian invasion. The parties also continued their dialogue on the implementation of the Peace Formula. Special attention was paid to preparations for the next meeting scheduled to take place in Malta....
Axel | Ukraine hints Putin contriving second front as Hamas visits Moscow
[...]
Addressing EU leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels, Zelensk* said by video link: "We must do everything to prevent an even larger international fire from breaking out in the Middle East. The enemies of freedom are very interested in bringing the free world to the second front."
Russia needs to see that its ambitions as an invader will endure less than our ability to defend our freedom—address of the President of Ukraine to the participants of the meeting of the European Council at the level of the leaders of the EU states
And just before our meeting, I have signed a very important law relating to the European integration - the law on politically exposed persons. This is one of the key laws adopted to fulfill the recommendations of the European Commission to open negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU. The law significantly strengthens the financial monitoring of public figures. And in any country, it is not easy for the political class to make such decisions. But now is the time when simple decisions cannot suffice.
[...]
Dear colleagues!

Ukraine is doing everything possible to end this war as soon as possible with our people, with our victory - in defense and in building institutions, in international affairs and in putting pressure on the aggressor... And I thank each of you who helps us fight.

I thank you for each of the defense packages provided to our soldiers—for weapons and equipment, for shells, for air defense. Yesterday, be the way, our soldiers shot down Russian combat drones that were moving towards the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant. Again and again we see what we are dealing with—the evil that can attack even nuclear power plants. Air defense is for life. Thank you, thank you all who understand this and help Ukraine with the respective systems and missiles. Sustainable arms supplies for Ukraine mean sustainable security for the whole Europe—for each of our neighbors.

He added: "We must clearly see this scenario and counter it—together, of course. The sooner security prevails in the Middle East, the sooner we will restore security here—in Europe."
[...]
reuters | Ukraine to rally support at Malta talks, sees no cracks in allied backing, 27 Oct
President Volodymyr Zelensk*'s top diplomatic adviser said officials from up to 70 [!] nations will meet in Malta to discuss Ukraine's vision for peace this weekend, rejecting the idea that cracks are appearing in allied support for Kyiv. The talks on Saturday and Sunday [28-29 Oct] will bring together national security advisers and foreign ministry officials to discuss Zelensk*'s 10-point blueprint for a peace settlement, as Russia's war grinds through its 21st month with no end in sight.
[...]
Ihor Zhovkva, Zelensk*'s adviser, said some nations were still confirming their plans, but that up to 70 were expected in Malta, up from the 43 who attended the previous round in Jeddah in August, and the 15 who went to Copenhagen for talks in June.

"You can clearly see this is a growing number of countries compared to Jeddah and it's very important it will be representatives of countries of all the continents," he told Reuters in an interview in his office in Kyiv late on Thursday.

Zhovkva declined to name the countries that will attend, saying that could help Moscow lobby them not to come but asked whether Beijing would send an emissary, he said: "We are working with many countries, including China."
[...]

ukrinform | Ukraine, Saudi Arabia foreign ministers discuss situation in Israel and Gaza Strip
..."During our call, Saudi Foreign Minister HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan and I discussed the situation in the Middle East. I underscored the importance of protecting civilians in Israel and Gaza. We discussed the problem of the evacuation of foreign nationals from Gaza. I emphasized the urgency of opening a humanitarian corridor," Kuleba posted on the social network X. He added that Ukraine appreciates the Kingdom's contribution to Ukraine's Peace Formula and look forward to the meeting in Malta....
by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 03:41:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
yahoo! Ukrainska Pravda | Third Peace Formula meeting with 65 countries present begins in Malta
[...]
Quote: "International support for the Ukrainian peace formula is growing. The large number of the Global South countries involved in the meeting confirm this. This truly shows that the world is interested in justice and Ukraine's victory."

Yermak said specific plans for the implementation of five points of the peace formula will be presented and discussed at the meeting, including those regarding nuclear security, energy security, food security, humanitarian direction (prisoners of war and deportees being brought back), restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and international order.

These plans were developed by working groups consisting of diplomats from various countries' embassies and experts. Yermak emphasised that this regular meeting is another step towards the Global Peace Summit.
[...]

timesofmalta | Ian Borg emphasises Malta as a 'bridge for peace' as Ukraine peace talks begin
Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg emphasising the strong international attendance as a vote of confidence in Malta as a peace broker.
[...]
Aside from representatives of the US, UK, EU and other international institutions, the Malta talks are also hosting representatives of Turkey—a country that has presented itself as a mediator between Russia and the West—and BRICS members Brazil, South Africa, and India. Notable by its absence is China, which has kept at arm's length of the conflict. While organisers were hopeful that Beijing could send a representative, government sources told Times of Malta that China was not among the attendees.
[...]
Borg and OPM Head of Secretariat Glenn Micallef, who are both representing Malta during the summit, will be hoping to close off the two-day event with a joint statement by participants: something neither the Copenhagen or Jeddah talks were able to accomplish.
irishtimes | Ukrainian drone struck Russian nuclear waste facility, says Moscow
[...]
Moscow oddly denounced it as "a blatantly anti-Russian event". Speaking at the summit, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, said that Russia "will have to give in to the international community" and agree to Ukraine's peace settlement demands. Mr Yermak praised the participation of Qatar for earlier this month facilitating the return of four Ukrainian children who had been taken by Russia.
[...]
"This meeting is a powerful signal that unity is preserved around Ukraine," Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said this week.
cnbc | Ukraine holds peace formula talks in Malta, but Russia is absent
National Security Advisers from around 65 countries have gathered in Malta for a weekend meeting organized by Ukraine to discuss its peace formula for ending the war with Russia.
[...]
The talks will help gauge Ukraine and the West's ability to drum up continued and broader support, particularly in the Global South, as the conflict in Israel dominates headlines, moving the focus from Kyiv.
[...]
No official list of delegates was issued, but officials said they include representatives of European, South American, Arab, African and Asian countries.
by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 04:34:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
msn Ukrainska Pravda | Possibility of holding inaugural Global Peace Summit discussed during Peace Formula meeting in Malta, 29 Oct
...Source: statement of the co-chairs (Malta and Ukraine) on the results of the meeting regarding key principles of peace for Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda...
reuters | Ukraine eyes global peace summit this year, says deputy foreign minister
..."This aim remains necessary and possible ... it has been demonstrated that there is interest in this," Deputy Minister Mykola Tochytskyi told Reuters by phone shortly after concluding his meetings. Heads of state and heads of government would attend the meeting, he said. The Malta meeting on Saturday and Sunday was attended in person or online by representatives from 66 countries, Kyiv said, with over 20 more countries participating than at the last such meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August....
usnews reuters | Ukraine Eyes Global Peace Summit This Year, Says Deputy Foreign Minister
...The deputy minister said Ukraine's efforts to win over "Global South" countries were not affected by differing positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict, although it could make it more difficult to focus the spotlight on Ukraine.

"Do military events in other corners (of the world) make it more difficult? Of course they can, but this is another vindication that President Zelenskiy's formula is important, as it is about peace."...


by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 03:03:53 PM EST
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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 30, 2023
Ukrainian News Agency: The third meeting regarding the Ukrainian peace formula was held in Malta last weekend. Representatives of 66 countries and international organizations gathered there. China did not take part. Does it mean that China refuses to play an active role in finding ways to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war?
Wang Wenbin: China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. We have played a constructive role for putting an end to hostilities and seeking a political settlement. We will continue to promote talks for peace in our own ways and work for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 04:51:41 PM EST
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Ukraine offers to store EU gas
by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 03:16:19 AM EST
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strana | Majority of Ukrainians opposed holding elections before the end of the war-poll, illustrated
62% of respondents said that any elections should be held after the end of the war—no matter how long it will have to wait.

22% said that it is necessary to hold elections in March 2024, according to the schedule. 6% were in favor of next September's election. 3% - in March 2025. 6% found it difficult to answer. Most of all, residents of the eastern regions aged 18-35 want to hold elections in six months.

< wipes tears >
Earlier, Rada Speaker Stefanchuk named five conditions for holding elections in Ukraine during the war. He also said that he appealed to the parliaments of other countries to study the experience of holding elections during the fighting.
archive ELECTION 2024 Slava Ukraini!
by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 02:39:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
time | PERSON OF THE YEAR, 7 Dec 2022
"'It's the people,' he told me in a two-hour interview as his private train rolled through the country."

time | 'Nobody Believes in Our Victory Like I Do.' Inside Volodymyr Zelensky's Struggle to Keep Ukraine in the Fight, 30 Oct 2023

The usual sparkle of his optimism, his sense of humor, his tendency to liven up a meeting in the war room with a bit of banter or a bawdy joke, none of that has survived into the second year of all-out war. "Now he walks in, gets the updates, gives the orders, and walks out," says one longtime member of his team. Another tells me that, most of all, Zelensky feels betrayed by his Western allies.
by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 11:01:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 11, 2023
At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, will pay a visit to China and the two sides will hold the 12th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue from October 12 to 14.
[...]
Axel | Israel is acting against international law, says Borrell, 10 Oct ATO World
"The right for self defense has to be done within international law," the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said Tuesday following a specially convened virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers. "Some of the actions by Israel—and the United Nations has already said it —cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people, is against international law. So yes, there are some actions that are not in accordance with international law," he said.
[...]
"the controversy that has ENGULFED the European Commission over the previous 24 HOURS"
While Borrell's comments broadly align with previous EU statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at times of heightened conflict by calling for respect for international law and restraint from all sides, the scale and ferocity of the latest Hamas attack on Israel has prompted some voices within the EU to call for Brussels to show more solidarity with Israel.

Despite being invited, Israeli and Palestinian representatives did not participate in the meeting.

Meanwhile, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has invited all members of Parliament and staff to observe a solemn moment at the European Parliament on Wednesday to remember the victims of the Hamas. However, some MEPs are expected to skip the event amid concerns the victims of Israel's strikes on Gaza are not part of the proposed event.
[...]

by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 03:19:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
irishtimes | Von der Leyen does not speak for EU on Israel-Hamas conflict, foreign policy chief says, 14 Oct Pékin epiphany
The rift at the top of the European Union over Israel and Gaza deepened on Saturday when foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Ursula von der Leyen did not speak for the EU on the matter. He said the EU's foreign policy was determined by its member states rather than by the European Commission or its president.
ibid Clare Daly (@ClareDalyMEP) October 8, 2023
"The common foreign policy of the European Union is an intergovernmental policy, it's not a community [?] policy. So the official position of the European Union with any foreign policy is being fixed by the guidelines of the high-level political decision in the European Union council, chaired by president Charles Michel, and by the Foreign Affairs Council ministers, chaired by me.
consilium.europa.eu | Invitation letter by President Charles Michel to the members of the European Council ahead of their video conference of 17 October 2023 (14.10.23)
And the position is clear that we certainly defend the right of Israel to defend itself against the attack that has been suffering, but as any right, it has a limit. And this limit is international law and international humanitarian law," he said.
archive The Pékin power grabber REPORTS
Mr Borrell was speaking in Beijing a day after Ms von der Leyen visited Jerusalem, where she offered prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu the EU's unconditional support in his response to last week's killings by Hamas militants....
eeas.europa.eu | High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell holds the 12th EU-China Strategic Dialogue with Director/Foreign Minister Wang Yi, 13 Oct
[...]
The discussion lasted more than four hours and both agreed on the need to maintain this channel of dialogue open.
yahoo! Kyiv Independent | Borrell calls on China to back Ukraine's peace formula, sway Russia toward peace, 13 Oct
..."The best way for us to take these negotiations (forward) is Ukraine's peace formula - and we count on China to support this."...
reuters | Borrell says EU takes China seriously, expects same in return, 14 Oct
...He said he discussed with Chinese officials the crisis in Israel and Gaza, and announced that his chief of staff, Enrique Mora, would be visiting Beijing next week to continue to engage Chinese officials on geopolitical issues....
China Stands on the Side of Peace and Human Conscience on the Question of Palestine (13.10.23)
On October 13, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell jointly met the press after co-chairing the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue.

When asked about the current Palestinian-Israeli situation, FM Wang Yi pointed out that Palestine is now in a critical situation. The ongoing conflict has caused heavy civilian casualties. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. China condemns all acts that harm civilians and opposes any violation of international law.

FM Wang Yi highlighted four priorities that China sees pressing given the severity of the current situation. The first is to stop the fighting as soon as possible, prevent it from spreading endlessly and avoid further deterioration of the situation. Second, it is imperative to observe the international humanitarian law, make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, open up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage as quickly as possible, and prevent a severe humanitarian disaster. Third, relevant countries should stay calm and exercise restraint, take an objective and just position, work for de-escalation of the conflict, and avoid causing an even bigger blow to regional and international security. Fourth, the UN should play its due role in resolving the question of Palestine. The UN Security Council needs to shoulder important responsibilities for this, build international consensus as quickly as possible and take real measures to that end....

fmprc | Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue Zhai Jun Has a Group Meeting with Diplomatic Envoys of the Arab States to China and Responsible Officials of the Mission of the League of Arab States in China at the Latter's Request, 14 Oct
by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 02:55:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Tue Oct 17th, 2023 at 01:03:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
jordantimes | King: 'No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt; that is a red line', 17 Oct
"I think I can quite strongly speak on behalf of, not only Jordan as a nation, but of our friends in Egypt -- that is a red line," King Abdullah said during remarks to the press after holding talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, warning against attempts to create new facts on the ground to push a new wave of refugees on the region, according to a Royal Court statement.

"No, refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt," His Majesty said, noting that this is an issue of a humanitarian dimension that has to be dealt inside the West Bank and "not to try and push the Palestinian challenges and their future onto other people's shoulders".

Merkel reduces Palestinian girl to tears, creates controversy (16.07.15)
"You are an extremely nice person, but you are aware that in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, there are thousands upon thousands of people. If we now say, 'You can all come,' ... we just can't manage that."
Responding to a question on what is required from the international community to end the cycles of violence, the King said there is a growing understanding within the international community that it is imperative to work towards ending the escalation as quickly as possible to be able to protect innocent civilians on all sides of the conflict.
UN extends Palestinian refugee mission until 2023 (15.12.19)
In Jordan, over 2.1 million registered Palestinian refugees distributed among 10 camps benefit from the agency's services and financial aid.
Jordan Refugee Statistics 1960-Jan 2023
data source: World Bank
"We will have to see what happens in the next week or so," His Majesty added, noting that all based on discussions with leaders around the world, "everybody understands the seriousness of the situation of how we need to work together to de-escalate and stop the violence".
Refugees and migrant health country profile: Jordan (17.03.23)
Jordan is not a State party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, nor is it a party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. However, in 1998 a memorandum of understanding (MOU)was drafted that set the parameters for cooperation between UNHCR and the Government of Jordan on the issue of refugees and asylum seekers. The MOU outlines the major principles of international protection, including the definition of a refugee and the principle of non-refoulement [prohibiting involuntary refugee repatriation].
The King also pointed to the upcoming visits of Chancellor Scholz to Israel and US President Joe Biden's planned visit to Jordan as part of these ongoing international efforts.
[...]
Speaking at the press conference, Chancellor Scholz expressed concern over the humanitarian conditions and developments in the region, stressing his countries commitment to providing aid to mitigate the suffering of civilians. The chancellor expressed Germany's support for opening a humanitarian corridor into the Gaza Strip, in light of civilians' needs for urgent humanitarian aid, as well as water, food and medicine. He stressed that the two countries agree on preventing the expansion of the conflict into the region.
[...]
jordannews.jo | OpEd | Full Spectrum Jordan: America's Uncertain Leadership, 15 Oct
by Cat on Tue Oct 17th, 2023 at 06:56:31 PM EST
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Jordan cancels Biden summit after hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast, 17 Oct
Jordan has cancelled a summit it was scheduled to host in Amman on Wednesday with United States President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss Gaza, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said.

Safadi said the meeting would be held at a time when the parties could agree to end the "war and the massacres against Palestinians", blaming Israel with its military campaign for pushing the region to "the brink of the abyss".
[...]

by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 12:56:56 AM EST
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reuters | EU leaders vow tighter borders, more repatriations after Brussels attack, 18 Oct
The leaders of Belgium and Sweden and the European Union's chief executive promised on Wednesday to tighten border security and step up repatriations after a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels. They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday's attack in the Belgian capital, home to the EU institutions, and condemning what they branded a brutal terrorist attack.

The shooting has highlighted the EU's persistent difficulties in managing asylum and ["]migration["], including security gaps and failures to return people deemed not to have the right to stay in the 27-nation bloc. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe's open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU's external frontiers were better protected from unwanted ["]immigration["].
[...]
The 45-year-old gunman arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 [!] and then lived in Sweden before claiming asylum in Belgium. He lost his case in 2020 and was ordered to leave the country.
[...]
RETURNS

euronews | In stunning move, Tunisia snubs Brussels and refunds €60 million in EU ["]aid["] (10.10.23)
"The Commission has been informed that Tunisia returned the payment of 60 million euros," said Ana Pisonero, the Commission's spokesperson for [EC] enlargement and neighbourhood [Directorate-General], without specifying a reason for the repayment [?].
[...]
The grants, which come from a previous COVID-19 recovery programme, were designed as budget support and were directly transferred to the bank account of the Tunisian treasury. This was supposed to be the first disbursement of a larger €127-million tranche [?] that also includes money earmarked under the EU-Tunisia memorandum of understanding signed in July. But days after the European Commission announced the €127-million ["hush money"?] envelope in late September, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the financial offer, saying it was "derisory" and contrary to the agreement.

"Tunisia, which accepts cooperation, does not accept anything resembling charity or favour [!], because our country and our people do not want sympathy and do not accept it when it is without respect," Saied said last week.

The European Commission said the bloc's new migration pact would help prevent such situations by allowing swifter deportations of refugees asylum seekers migrants immigrants foreigners who are deemed a security threat.

"Europe is the solution, provided we get these (new) rules enacted," EU Commissioner Margaritis Schinas told a news conference. The EU has long blamed low rates of returns on what it says is unwillingness of countries of origin—including ["Arab Spring"] Tunisia—to take people back. It said member states had issued 420,000 return decisions last year but only 77,000 were implemented.
[...]

European Court of Auditors
EU spending: more errors and greater risks, 5 Oct
estimate of the amount of money that was not used in Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)
Auditors issue an opinion on the proposed arrangements for making available the adjusted package for the next generation of the EU's own financial resources, 10 Oct
EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) 2024-2027 forecast ROI
by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 11:43:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Europe COMISH Sun Oct 6th 2019
by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 12:12:15 PM EST
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msn Tunis Afrique Press | President Kais Saied dismisses Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Saied, 17 Oct
The President of the Republic has appointed Mrs Sihem Boughediri Namsia to head the Ministry of Economy and Planning on a provisional basis, accordring to the same statement.
bloomberg | Tunisian Economic Chief Who Advocated IMF [Loan] Is Ousted, 18 Oct
Tunisian President Kais Saied fired his economy and planning minister, removing one of the cash-strapped nation's most vocal advocates of a stalled $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund rescue program.

Samir Saied's duties have been temporarily transferred to Tunisia's Finance Ministry, the presidency said late Tuesday in statement. It didn't elaborate on the decision.

The minister's departure came just days after he represented the North African country at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Marrakech, Morocco. Tunisia has been mired in economic malaise for much of the decade since the < wipes tears > 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and made a preliminary deal for an IMF bailout last October.

The government has yet to enact the potentially painful ["structural adjustment"] reforms needed to secure the lender's final approval. The president has repeatedly cast doubt on the accord and indicated he won't heed IMF calls to cut state spending, describing them as "foreign diktats" that would impoverish Tunisians.
[...]

by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 03:24:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
CHAOS ERUPTS as pro-Palestinian protesters demand ceasefire at the Capitol; at least 3 allegedly ASSAULT cops: Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) likened the gathering to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 02:51:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
reuters | Cairo Peace Summit on Gaza conflict: who will attend?, 20 Oct 2023 amended list
EG* Al el-Sisi
PS* Abbas
BH* al-Khalifa
KW* al-Ahmad al-Sabah
IT Meloni
ES Sanchez
GR Mitsotakis
CY Christodoulides
CA Trudeau (or Joly, Hussen)
DE Baerbock
FR Colonna
JP Kamikawa
UK Cleverly
EUCO Michel
EU Borrell
TR Fidan
ZA Ramaphosa
QA* Thani
IQ* Sudani
JO* Abdullah II
NO Aida
RU Bogdanov

UN Guterres
AE* Nahyan
* Arab League member; multiple sources compiled.

dnyuz | Peace Summit in Egypt Shows a Shift in Rhetoric but no Consensus, 21 Oct

[...]
One goal of any summit is to end in a joint statement that all the countries in attendance can agree on. But European leaders arrived in Cairo knowing they could not sign Egypt's draft declaration, which did not mention Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, according to European diplomats and officials involved in the summit preparations.

"Like any other country in the world, Israel has the right to defend itself and to defend its people against this terror," the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said in a speech at the summit, though she added that the defense must be "within the framework of international law."

In the end, there was no statement.
[...]

Erdoğan discusses Gaza crisis, 21 Oct mixed messages
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensk*, his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, and his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzi on Saturday, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.
[...]
by Cat on Sat Oct 21st, 2023 at 07:09:48 PM EST
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state.gov | Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires Ambassador Beth Jones at the Cairo Peace Summit, 21 Oct
[...]
Middle East Taiwan, built on the foundation of a two-state solution. We must keep pursuing a path so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely, in security, in dignity, and in peace. Egypt is an indispensable partner in that endeavor.
by Cat on Sat Oct 21st, 2023 at 07:24:24 PM EST
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F24 | Macron calls for 'decisive relaunch' of Palestinian peace process after Netanyahu meeting, 24 Oct GWOT
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday proposed a regional and international coalition to fight against terrorist groups during a visit to Israel. Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Macron called for a decisive relaunch of the Palestinian peace process. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments.

• French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv Tuesday morning to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Benny Gantz and main opposition leader Yair Lapid.

• Macron is set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah later Tuesday.
[...]
Macron addresses fight against terrorism, revival of peace process

The Macron-Netanyahu joint press conference has ended, here's a recap: Netanyahu vowed that Israel would destroy Hamas, and that Israelis would not "live under Hamas tyranny".

Macron called for a "decisive relaunch" of the Palestinian peace process. He said he would be discussing this issue later Tuesday during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Macron also called for the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) [!] group to be expanded to also fight Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
[...]

Macron, Netanyahu hold joint press conference in Jerusalem
France and Israel share terrorism as their "common enemy", says French President Emmanuel Macron at the start of a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"You are not alone," said Macron after a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem. In his statement to the press, Netanyahu stressed that the Israeli military will destroy Hamas and that Israelis would not live "under Hamas tyranny".

unrwa | THE GAZA STRIP: Fuel is running out, 22 Oct
...In three days, UNRWA will run out of fuel, critical for our humanitarian response across the Gaza Strip.  Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach those in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance....
usnews | World Court to Hold Public Hearings Over Consequences From Israel's Occupation, 23 Oct
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories before eventually issuing a non-binding legal opinion, it said on Monday [23.10.23]. The 193-member United Nations General Assembly in December [2022] had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to give its view on the on-going conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
...On 30 December 2022, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted resolution A/RES/77/247, in which, referring to Article 65 of the Statute of the Court, it requested the International Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion. The relevant part of the resolution reads as follows: "The General Assembly,

18. Decides, in accordance with Article 96 of the Charter of the United Nations, to request the International Court of Justice, pursuant to Article 65 of the Statute of the Court, to render an advisory opinion on the following questions, considering the rules and principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, and the advisory opinion of the Court of 9 July 2004:...

Hearings in the Dutch city of The Hague will open on Monday, Feb. 19 [2024], the court said. The request for a so-called advisory opinion had been made before the current escalation in the region, so the ICJ's opinion will focus solely on the Israeli occupation.
ohchr | Commission of Inquiry collecting evidence of war crimes committed by all sides in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023 (10.10.23)
It was made in a resolution adopted by the General Assembly with 87 votes in favor. Israel, the United States and 24 other members* voted against, while 53 abstained.
###
* AGAINST: ALBANIA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, CANADA, COSTA RICA, CROATIA, CZECHIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, ESTONIA, GERMANY, GUATEMALA, HUNGARY, ISRAEL, ITALY, KENYA, LIBERIA, LITHUANIA, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MICRONESIA, NAURU, PALAU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, ROMANIA, TOGO, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES
by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 02:14:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
.
Europe Is Back!!

Today Macron, yesterday caretaker PM Rutte to express full support for Israel to destroy the terror group Hamas hiding among 2.2 million Palestinians, right for self-defence whatever and how long it takes. Green lighting further war crimes and crimes against humanity in a caged Gaza Strip ... inhumane treatment since 1967. As soon as Rutte ended his "peace" mission, Israel struck Gaza with more bombs and deaths than ever before.

Treatment of scorched earth ... in press briefing Netanyahu talked about the Holocaust and the continued suffering of Jews across Europe, anti-Semitism and pogroms.

Proportionality ...

MARK RUTTE: First of all, I cannot judge, but of course I'm worried, but I cannot judge whether at the moment ... ehh ... yes or no Israel is completely ... ehh ... working within the lines of proportionality and international human law, ehh humanitarian law ... I cannot judge that because I do not know all the facts on the table ... this of course is up to Israel at this moment to navigate.

See my updated diary - Long Road to Ethnic Cleansing [Update]

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 03:23:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
in re: A/RES/77/247, YES vote

Axel | Portugal backs UN in bitter feud with Israel, which vowed to 'teach them a lesson', 25 Oct

Portugal's Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho on Wednesday said his government supported António Guterres' position [UNSC 24.10.23] on the Israel-Hamas Palestine war, amid an escalating dispute between the United Nations secretary-general and Israeli [holocaust] authorities.

"We fully understand and follow the position of António Guterres, who was unequivocal when he condemned Hamas terrorism," Gomes Cravinho told Portuguese newswire Lusa. "There is no way to say that António Guterres is in any way excusing [alleged] terrorism."

The Portuguese foreign minister also dismissed Israel's calls for Guterres—who is Portuguese—to resign.
[...]

by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 04:23:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres alleged violations of international law in Gaza and urged an immediate ceasefire as Israel pounds the Palestinian territory in response to Hamas attacks.

Opening the session, Guterres said there was no excuse for the "appalling" violence by Hamas militants on October 7 but also warned against "collective punishment" of the Palestinians.

Guterres said that the Palestinians had been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," telling the Security Council: "It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposes to organise "International Conference on Palestine-Israel Peace" in which all influential actors in the region will participate. He also offers Türkiye's guarantorship system for Israel-Palestine peace.

Extremely divided within the EC Commission, individual states call for a ceasefire for humanitarian aid and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip refugees camps.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday called for an end to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, saying "enough is enough."

"We are saying enough is enough," Sheikh Tamim said at the opening of the 52nd annual session of the country's Shura Council, adding that Israel should not be allowed to use water, medicines and food as weapons against an entire population.

In rare praise, Israel hails Qatar's 'crucial' diplomatic efforts in Gaza crisis. As I understand Qatar is mediating for the release of all captives held by Hamas.

Will Israel be forced to negotiate a definitive peace and accept a sovereign Palestine in a two-state or one single democratic state to end illegal occupation and apartheid. There may be no other escape for Israel to live in peace with its neighbors as codified in the UN Charter.

Posted @TikunOlam

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 04:42:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 04:53:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Europe's newest gas link set to hit Gazprom prices around the Baltic Sea (27.11.2019)
"Gazprom did not reply to a request for comment. Its data show the firm exported 2.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Finland in 2018, 1.3 bcm to Latvia, 1.4 bcm to Lithuania, and 0.4 bcm to Estonia."
spglobal | Estonia-Finland gas link not seen in reverse mode in 2020: official (25.02.2020)
...Finnish gas demand has fallen in recent years from highs of around 4 Bcm/year in the late 2000s to around 2.5 Bcm now, partly due to the country's dependence on costly Russian gas imports. While imports via Estonia now make up one third of Finnish imports, much of the gas flow comes from the Incukalns storage facility in Latvia, which itself is filled with mostly Russian gas. Finland does, though, also now have access to re-gasified LNG via Lithuania.

Arbitrage economics
For the Balticconnector to work in reverse mode, the arbitrage economics would have to work for Russian gas imports into Finland to be re-exported to the Baltics....

bbc | Russia halts gas supplies to Finland (21.05.2022)
"Helsinki has been refusing to pay for its supplies in roubles. But the cut-off also follows an announcement that Finland will apply for NATO membership....Last Sunday, Russia also cut electricity supplies to Finland. It had threatened retaliation should Finland apply to join Nato."

euronews | Finland, Baltic states postpone gas pipeline maintenance to secure supply (03.06.2022)
"The decision to postpone maintenance on the Balticconnector pipeline was reached by the gas transmission system operators of Finland and two of the three [?] Baltic states, [Lithuania,] Estonia, and Latvia, Finland's Gasgrid said in a statement on Thursday."

gasgrid | Gasgrid Finland's LNG floating terminal is now ready for gas deliveries (16.01.2023)
"'Connecting the LNG floating terminal to the port structures and gas network built by Gasgrid Finland went like clockwork thanks to experienced professionals. The LNG floating terminal project is an excellent example of how seamless teamwork between different parties works at its best. Now that our LNG floating terminal is ready to come on stream, it will also improve the security of supply for Finnish society,' says Hallivuori."

reuters | Finland's Gasum terminates Gazprom pipeline gas contract (22.05.2023)
"An arbitration panel last November ruled that Gasum was not obliged to pay in roubles but ordered the two sides to negotiate to resolve the situation.'The long-term LNG supply contract Gasum has with Gazprom Export remains in place,' the Finnish company said.'"

w/o 9 October 2023 Russsia USA Ukraine Hamas Iran Russia whodunnit?

bloomberg | Finland Reports Suspected Leak in Baltic Undersea Gas Pipeline
"Finnish and Estonian gas transmission system operators noticed 'an unusual drop in pressure in the offshore gas pipeline between the two countries,' Gasgrid Finland Oy said in a statement on its website."

reuters | Gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia shut over suspected leak

"The valves in the offshore pipeline are now closed and the leak is thus stopped. Gasgrid Finland is currently investigating the matter in cooperation with Elering," it added. The state of the Finnish gas system was stable on Sunday morning and supply of gas in Finland was secured for the time being through the country's Inkoo floating LNG terminal, Gasgrid said.
AP | Damage to gas pipeline, telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia caused by 'external activity', 10 Oct
"Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, [FI] Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stopped short of calling the pipeline leak sabotage but said it could not have been caused by regular operations."
bloomberg | Finland Gas Pipe Leak Probe Proceeding on Premise of Sabotage
"The leak on the gas interconnector has revived concerns about the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure following the blasts on the nearby < wipes tears > Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Germany last year."

dailysabah | Quite heavy force' damaged Finland-Estonia gas pipeline (11.10.23)

"So what it is exactly, we have to specify yet, but at the moment, it rather seems that it had been mechanical impact or mechanical destruction."

Henri Vanhanen, research fellow at the Finnish Institute for International Affairs, said the central issue would be how NATO reacted if evidence was gathered that a state actor was behind the pipeline damage. Finland and Estonia are both members.

"Because this could mean that this is an attack against NATO member infrastructure," he said. "I think the big question in the long term is that, do we have a clear set of potential countermeasures for such activities? What is the deterrence?"

Finnish President Niinisto Sauli said Tuesday that he had been in touch with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and that the military alliance was ready to assist in the investigation.

sputnik | NATO Chief Vows United Response If Balticconnector Pipeline Leak Proves to Be Sabotage (11.10.23)
"'If it is proven to be a deliberate attack on NATO critical infrastructure, then this will be serious, but it will also be met by a united and determined response by NATO,' Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of the NATO defense ministers in Brussels."
by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 05:56:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ripostelaique | L'engagement direct des troupes de l'OTAN pourrait-il sauver l'Ukraine?
Le New York Times observe, dépité, que la stratégie russe fonctionne. Plutôt que de relancer une guerre de mouvement qui coûterait cher en combattants et en matériel, Poutine attend que les Ukrainiens qui mènent des combats de Zoulous < wipes tears >, viennent se fracasser tout seuls sur les défenses russes. Avec des pertes effroyables.

Une stratégie élastique

< wipes tears >
futur cas d'école pour les instituts de formation militaire, et qui a fait ses preuves. On recule un peu en bon ordre, l'ennemi s'engouffre dans la poche ainsi ouverte, on l'encercle alors et on le neutralise. Puis on regagne le terrain cédé.

En outre, l'arrivée du GROM drone autonome de dernière génération donne des sueurs froides aux culottes de peau de l'OTAN qui n'ont rien de comparable en magasin. Furtif, volant à mach 2, pouvant gérer d'autres drones, bombarder au sol et allumer les avions ennemis en l'air, on peut dire que les F16 sont attendus. Pour le moment, leurs futurs pilotes s'entraînent sur un PC avec «flight simulator».

Une armée de bouffons commandée par un clown.
Leur contre-offensive a été un échec d'anthologie. Ils ont fait tout ce qu'il ne fallait pas faire ! D'abord annoncer la reprise des combats plusieurs mois à l'avance, et sans cesse en différer la concrétisation. Laissant aux Russes le temps de tout verrouiller.
[...]

by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 06:48:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
neftegaz.ru | Details of the Finnish authorities' statement about external interference that caused damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, illustrated
[...]
Telecommunications operator Elisa, operating in Finland and Estonia, reported an incident with a backup underwater fiber-optic cable [!] in the Gulf of Finland, which also occurred on the night of October 7-8. The company explained that the incident does not affect the functionality of its services, since the cable is a backup cable and the functionality of connections is provided over other lines. Reuters [!], citing statements by Elisa, reported that the cable is located at a significant distance from the gas pipeline, but did not comment on the specific distance. Rear Admiral M. Hassinen, Deputy Head of the Finnish Border Guard Service, said that his service found a leak site in the Gulf of Finland from the Balticconnector IHP in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Finland. Damage to the telecommunications cable is suspected to be located in the Estonian EEZ. The sea depth in the area of both incidents is about 60 m.
[...]
The Estonian Geological Research Center said that no seismic effects were detected around the pipeline, referring to the explosion. The Norwegian seismological Association [NORSAR] reported on October 10, 2023 that on October 8, 2023, at about 01: 20, it recorded a possible explosion off the coast of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The strength of a NORSAR seismological event is estimated at 1.0 on the Richter scale (ML) (for comparison, the NORSAR-recorded explosions at the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 IHP had a force of 1.8 and 2.3, or 190-320 kg and 650-900 kg in TNT equivalent, respectively). The researchers note that a possible explosion was recorded 40 km north of the town of Paldiski in Estonia, but there is considerable uncertainty in the data, and therefore additional analysis is required.
[...]
not that pipe, the other one
The choice of the Balticconnector as an object whose damage can provoke an aggravation of the crisis around Russia is quite understandable. This is a small gas pipeline in terms of capacity (2.6 billion m3/year of gas against 55 billion m3/year of gas from the Nord Stream-1 MGP) of regional significance, on which the security of gas supply to Finland and the Baltic states does not depend critically.

From the point of view of real damage, damage to the Baltic Pipe, which provides gas supplies from the Norwegian shelf to Poland, would be more serious. Recently, before the shutdown, the pipeline was mainly used to supply gas—re-gasified LNG—from Finland to the Baltic states. Finland relies on the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Exemplar Floating Re-gasification Terminal (FSRU) in Yinkoo Port and the Hamina land terminal. Estonia receives gas from the Incukalna Underground Storage Facility (UGS) in Latvia, and it also has access to gas supplies from the Independence FSRU in Lithuania or from Poland under the GIPL IHL and Lithuanian GTS < wipes tears >.

The capacity of this gas pipeline is a more noticeable 10 billion/year of gas, since it is connected to the Europipe II IHP, which supplies gas from Norway to Germany.
[...]

by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 09:01:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
voiceofeurope | Estonia ["]engages["] China in probe over damaged Baltic Sea telecom cables, 23 Oct
Estonian authorities have reached out to China for assistance in their ongoing investigation surrounding the damage to two Baltic Sea telecom cables. The cables, which connect Estonia to both Finland and Sweden, sustained damage in early October. This incident raised alarms about the potential intentional sabotage of critical infrastructure.
[...]
aljazeera | China denies role in suspected sabotage of Finland-Estonia gas link, 23 Oct
[...]
China and Finland have begun communication over the damage to the Balticconector gas pipeline, which was reported to be leaking on October 9. Helsinki has said its investigation was focused on the potential role of a Chinese ship.

The European country's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Friday it was studying how the NewNew Polar Bear container vessel might have been involved in the incident, which also saw two telecom cables cut. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Tallinn has contacted Beijing seeking "to encourage cooperation concerning the investigation".
[...]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing the same day that Beijing hopes that the relevant parties can find the truth as soon as possible and rejected any suggestion that China was responsible.

Helsingin Sanomat: Finland's central police, so-called Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said on Friday that the Chinese cargo ship NewNew Polar Bear is in the center of its investigation regarding a gas pipe which was broken by an outer force in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia. So I have two questions about it. How do you comment on the situation that a Chinese vessel is in the middle of this investigation? And another question, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said it wants to research the ship in cooperation with Chinese officials. Is China going to cooperate?
Mao Ning: China always holds that the international community needs to strengthen cooperation to jointly safeguard the safety and security of trans-boundary infrastructure. To my knowledge, the Chinese vessel was sailing through relevant waters normally when the incident occurred. Due to the rather bad conditions at sea, it didn't detect anything abnormal. China and Finland have started communication over this incident. We hope relevant authorities will find out what happened soon and make sure that the investigation is conducted in an objective, just and professional manner.
Try to act surprised.
Last week, Estonian investigators said they were looking into two ships concerning the incident, including the Chinese vessel and Russia's Sevmorput.
[...]
err.ee | Latvian president: Close Baltic Sea if Russia behind Balticconnector damage, 20 Oct
..."Although Sweden is not yet a member of NATO, we hope that in the near future, if we see incidents of this nature, NATO should, in my understanding, simply effectively close the Baltic Sea for shipping," he said. "You can do that. Ships can be stopped."

Rinkevics acknowledged that this is of course a question of a whole series of maritime rights, but said that if it's clearly proven to be Russia behind the damage, the discussion "has to be that to protect our critical infrastructure, there needs to be a conversation about how we can close the Baltic Sea."...

by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 04:16:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 12:16:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
America's Coercive Diplomacy and Its Harm | China MFA News - 18 May, 2023 |

The United States is the inventor and master of coercive diplomacy. For a long time, the US, through various rogue means such as economic blockade, unilateral sanctions, military threats, political isolation, and technical blockade, has presented textbook cases of coercive diplomacy to the world. As US scholars have pointed out, the essence of US coercive diplomacy lies in the idea that "you are either with us or against us. The US should lead, and its allies should follow, and the countries that oppose the supremacy of the US will suffer."

Shrugging off the fact that the US itself has engaged in coercive diplomacy everywhere, the US, out of political self-interest, readily tags China and other countries with the label of coercive diplomacy. It needs to be pointed out that an important tradition in China's diplomacy is to uphold the equality of all countries large and small, and never to divide the world into different groups or engage in the practice of coercion and bullying. Moreover, China has always taken a clear-cut stand against hegemony, unilateralism and coercive diplomacy. China never threatens other countries with force. China never forms military coalition or exports ideology. China never makes provocations at others' doorstep or reaches its hands into others' homes. China never wages trade wars or groundlessly hobbles foreign companies. To slander China for engaging in the so-called coercive diplomacy is obviously just making trumped-up charges.

The international community can easily tell who is engaging in coercive diplomacy and who is coercing the whole world. Those who engage in coercion, sanctions, bullying, suppressing other countries and bringing chaos to the world, will eventually hurt themselves. The United States should address its old habit of wanton coercive diplomacy and return a just and rational international order to the world.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 04:32:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
dailysabah | Sweden NATO membership protocol sent to Turkish Parliament, 23 Oct
The Swedish Prime Ministry welcomed Türkiye's announcement....NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the submission of the bill...The U.S. State Department also welcomed the move...
dailsabah | Erdoğan expected to attend 'Great Palestine Rally' in Istanbul, 23 Oct
...Atatürk Airport, which hosted large-scale events after it ceased to be Istanbul's main aviation hub, will host the "Great Palestine Rally," which is also expected to be attended by AK Party leader President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday. Members of the People's Alliance, which endorsed Erdoğan in May's general elections, will also attend the rally, including Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, Great Unity Party (BBP) Chair Mustafa Destici, New Welfare Party (YRP) leader Fatih Erbakan, Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) Chair Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Önder Aksakal....
dailysabah | 'Great Palestine Rally' and Sweden's NATO accession protocol, 25 Oct
...Those two developments suggest that Türkiye will debate where it stands within the international system, what it seeks to achieve, its relations with the West, and its policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Turkish President's address to the AK Party's parliamentary caucus on Wednesday, in turn, set the tone concerning Gaza and Sweden....
hurriyet.tr | President Erdoğan: Israel of the West owe you a lot, but no Turkey (25.10.23)
President and AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğanmade statements at his party's parliamentary group meeting. Who sends to the fight against inflation Erdoğan, increasing employment, while on the other hand, we are in the fight against inflation. From growth nor inflation gives concessions will be delivered to Turkey," he said. Reacting to Israel's attacks on Gaza, Erdogan said, "all Western[ers who] consider Hamas a terrorist organization c[a]me together in their last meeting. Israel, [the] west organization [] owe[s] you a lot, but the world doesn't owe you anything," he said....
(machine translation edited for EN intelligibility - mcs)

dailysabah | Turkish lawmakers plan to visit Gaza as Israel's attacks persist, 25 Oct

...Derya Yanık, a former family minister who now heads Parliament's Human Rights Committee, said at a news conference that they were making preparations for the visit to see the situation on the ground. Yanık, flanked by fellow lawmakers, said at the news conference on Tuesday [24.10.23] that Israel has been constantly bombing the Gaza Strip for the past 18 days and targeted civilians, residential areas, marketplaces, places of worship and hospitals....
by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 06:28:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Russia and China at war with Canada, says Gen. Wayne Eyre "employment concept"
China and Russia are Canada's main enemies, with both nations considering themselves to be at war with the west, according to a new document from the Canadian military. In language similar to that now being used by the Pentagon and NATO, the document outlines how the Canadian Forces must change to prepare for a long-term conflict.

"We must remember that Russia and China do not differentiate between peace and war," Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre states in the introduction to the Pan-Domain Force Employment Concept. "The hostile intentions and actions of our adversaries show that they consider themselves to be at war with the West," the document added. "We must accept this reality and respond accordingly."
[...]

"whole-of-government" effort
The concept paper calls for the Canadian military to quickly embrace artificial intelligence in its battle against adversaries. It defined AI, where machines simulate human intelligence, as encompassing various capabilities ranging from robotics to "human-machine teaming."
[...]
But pumping more money into the military comes at a time when the Liberal government is pushing fiscal restraint on federal departments. In addition, the Canadian Forces and National Defence have faced questions about how they manage the money they already receive as well as concerns about equipment projects that have gone tens of billions of dollars over budget without providing additional military capability.
[...]
recruitment challenges
by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 10:51:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Absolute a necessity ... as the establishment and NATO have been "brain dead" for ages.

Trump canceled his final press conference at the NATO summit after Trudeau and two other world leaders - Emmanuel Macron of France and Boris Johnson of Britain - were caught on their own hot mic roasting him, with Princess Anne, the Queen's daughter, nodding along.

The president had spoken with reporters for more than two hours since arriving in London on Monday and claimed he had answered enough questions. He left the NATO summit on schedule, returning to the U.S. on Air Force One.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Oct 29th, 2023 at 10:23:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Exit poll: ruling party win Poland's election but opposition government more likely

The exit poll for today's parliamentary elections in Poland indicates that the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) has, as expected, won the largest share of the vote, with 36.8%.

However, if that vote share is confirmed in the official results - which are due to be announced by Tuesday - it is almost certain not to be enough to secure the governing majority PiS needs to remain in power for an unprecedented third term.

The centrist Civic Coalition (KO) is in second with 31.6%. Its potential partners in forming a new coalition government, the centre-right Third Way (13%) and The Left (8.6%), are third and fourth respectively, according to the exit poll, which was conducted by Ipsos.

The far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) is fifth with 6.2% - a much lower result than previous polls have suggested.

'We don't know' if PiS has path to government, Kaczyński says | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 09:42:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:41:33 PM EST
yahoo! reuters | US restricts trade with 42 Chinese eNTiTiEs over Russia military support, 6 Oct
including supplying the Russian sector U.S.-origin integrated circuits.

Another seven eNTiTiEs from Finland, Germany, India, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom were also added to the trade export control list. The circuits include microelectronics that Russia uses for precision guidance systems in missiles and drones launched against civilian targets in Ukraine, the Commerce Department said in a statement.

"Today's additions to the Entity List provide a clear message: if you supply the Russian defense sector with U.S.-origin technology, we will find out, and we will take action," Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod said in the statement....

bis.gov | Commerce adds 49 eNTiTiEs to the eNTiTiEs List for providing support to Russia's military and/or defense industrial base, 6 Oct Sep 6 announcement
....Forty-two [42] of the entries are based in the People's Republic of China (PRC), with additional eNTiTiEs based in Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom....
archive US Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) UPDATES, 27 Sep federalregister.gov
by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 03:34:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
justice.gov | Justice Department Announces Eight Indictments Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Employees, 3 Oct bounty hunters
..."Through the dedication and investigative abilities of agents and officers from HSI, CBP, and our federal partners, we are bringing accountability to ruthless organizations and individuals resident in the People's Republic of China and to the cartel members that seek to profit from the death and destruction that fentanyl causes."...
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on US Congressional Delegation's Visit to China Led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, 4 Oct
Q: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced that he will lead a bipartisan delegation of senators to China in the coming days. What is China's comment? Will Chinese leaders meet with Senator Schumer and his delegation?
A: China welcomes US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to lead a bipartisan delegation of senators to China. We hope this visit will contribute to a more objective understanding of China in the US Congress, increase dialogue and communication between the legislatures of our two countries, and add positive factors to the growth of China-US relations.
###
bloomberg | Senate Delegation Still Hopes to Meet With Xi, Aide Says, 5 Oct
...[Sen. Mike] Crapo said earlier that the group hoped to meet with Xi. He and Schumer are also planning to raise market-access concerns on behalf of Micron Technology [?!], which has a significant presence in both their states, according to people familiar with the planning. The clarification from Cassidy's office came after the senator told reporters that a meeting with Xi had been scheduled, which it has not.
committee100.org | Statement by Committee of 100 on the Upcoming Bipartisan U.S. Senate Delegation Visit to China, Japan, and Korea, 6 Oct
...Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will lead the trip with lead Republican Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID). Joining them will be Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA). "We applaud the bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation for their commitment to fostering improved global dialogues with countries where many of the U.S. population have ancestral, familial, or economic ties," said Cindy Tsai, Interim President of Committee of 100....
theweek.in | US lawmakers led by Senate Majority leader Schumer arrive in China, 7 Oct
...The trip comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries and as Chinese and American officials try to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November.
[...]
Schumer's office said he would focus on the need for reciprocity from China for US business in trade and on maintaining American leadership in advanced technologies for national security. He also hopes to discuss human rights, fentanyl production, and China's role in the international community, as well as areas for potential cooperation....
voiceofeurope | Biden-Xi in-person meeting still uncertain at upcoming APEC summit, 7 Oct
...Although preliminary teams from both the U.S. and China have inspected potential meeting venues in San Francisco in anticipation of a possible meeting, President Xi, who chose to forgo the recent G-20 summit in India, has yet to confirm his participation. His reluctance might be attributed to his administration's dissatisfaction with some of Biden's recent remarks. The APEC summit, which sees participation from its member countries, is set to take place from November 11-17 in San Francisco.
GT | Schumer's China visit continues momentum of high-level contacts, 7 Oct
...Schumer has long been a critic of China and supported several unfavorable laws regarding China. In light of the present complicated situation, the trip demonstrated the need to continue communication between China and the US, Sun Chenghao, a fellow and head of the US-EU program at the Center for International Security and Strategy in Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.
[...]
The engagement between China and the US fits the interests of the two countries as well as the expectations of the international community. But some observers noted that the Biden administration has not changed its policy of competing with China, and its current adjustments are temporary and tactical.

They also noted that the US has shown a more positive attitude in words than in moves in recent months for a possible top leaders' meeting, as it is still creating obstacles to bilateral relations. The Biden administration is attempting to exploit high-level encounters to shake and erode China's resolve to resist US sanctions that have no basis in reality. Additionally, it has kept up the pressure on China on the high-tech sector front and on the Taiwan question and the issue of the South China Sea, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times....

archive G7 press questions China's national security, The Bat Man "deadbeat nation", My Critical Elements v Your Chips
by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 12:45:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

left hand seizes an afternoon to serve timeless lecture on common courtesy to odious Delegation of Chuck
President Xi underlined that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. How China and the U.S. get along will determine the future of humanity. Competition and confrontation is not consistent with the trend of the times. Still less can it fix one's own problems and address the challenges facing the world. China maintains that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, and the respective success of China and the U.S. is an opportunity, rather than a challenge, to each other. The "Thucydides Trap" is not inevitable, and Planet Earth is vast enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the U.S. Given the high degree of integration between the Chinese and U.S. economies and their closely entwined interests, both countries stand to benefit from each other's development. A post-pandemic global recovery, meeting the climate challenge and resolving international and regional hotspots all require China-U.S. coordination and cooperation. As two major countries, China and the U.S. should demonstrate the broadmindedness, vision and readiness to rise to the occasion expected by the international community, and act with a sense of responsibility to history, to the people and to the world. The two countries should properly handle their relations, respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. They should work to increase the well-being of the two peoples, and contribute to human progress and world peace and development. 
[...]
Senator Schumer and other members of the delegation expressed their delight to visit the beautiful country of China and their appreciation to the Chinese side for its hospitality. During the visit, they have felt the vigor and potential of China's development. They shared their views and suggestions on relevant issues in China-U.S. relations, noting that a stable U.S.-China relationship is of vital importance not only to the two countries, but also to world peace and development. China's development and prosperity is good for the American people. The U.S. side does not seek a conflict with China, nor does it seek to decouple. The U.S. is willing to enhance dialogue and communication with China in an open and candid manner based on mutual respect, responsibly manage the bilateral relationship, and stabilize and strengthen U.S.-China relations. The U.S. side looks forward to strengthening bilateral trade and investment cooperation with China, and increasing communication and cooperation on such issues as climate change, drug trafficking and regional conflicts. 
right hand seizes opportunity to sandbag left hand's terms of co-operation with the odious
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on October 9, 2023
[...]
Bloomberg: Can you tell me if President Xi Jinping will meet Senator Schumer and other US Senators who are here in China right now? Will Xi and Biden meet at APEC next month in San Francisco?.....
The New York Times: Has China already, or will China soon, urge Iran to restrain Hamas? And also will China encourage Hamas or ask Iran to encourage Hamas to release hostages? ...
Reuters: The Israeli embassy in Beijing said yesterday that it had expected to see "stronger condemnation" of Hamas from China, and that it "was not a time to call for a two-state solution", after Hamas attacked Israel. Does the ministry have any further comment on these remarks from the embassy?...
Al Jazeera: Experts believe that the current Palestine-Israel situation may have a far-reaching impact on international relations, including the US-Saudi Defense Agreement, US support to Ukraine and the regional security landscape. As a permanent member of the Security Council, what political and diplomatic efforts will China make?
[...]
by Cat on Mon Oct 9th, 2023 at 04:31:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
During RARE China trip, Schumer criticizes country's initial reaction to Hamas attack on Israel, 9 Oct
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday said China had fulfilled a request he made to President Xi Jinping asking to show greater sympathy for the Israeli people after Hamas launched a widespread attack over the weekend.

"I raised with President Xi the unfolding atrocities carried out against Israel and the need for the world community to stand together against terrorism and with the Israeli people, and pointedly requested from President Xi that the Chinese Foreign Minister strengthen their statement; they did," Schumer said in a statement.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the Escalation of Tensions Between Palestine and Israel (09.10.23)
Q: Fierce conflict has broken out between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, causing massive casualties on both sides. Does China have any comment on this?
A: China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel. We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation.

The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot go on. The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine. The international community needs to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace. China will continue to work relentlessly with the international community towards that end.

[...]
Schumer, in his meeting with Xi the next day, said he was "disappointed" with that response—and China appeared to get the message.
NUANCE!
O Globo: According to reports, the attacks committed on Saturday by the Islamic group Hamas has left over 700 dead, most of them civilians, and also dozens of kidnapped people were taken to Gaza. My question is, does the Chinese government consider those acts terrorist acts?
Mao Ning: China has stated its position on the current escalation of tensions between Palestine and Israel. We are deeply concerned over the escalation of tensions and violence and saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict. We oppose and condemn acts harming civilians. The priority now is to end hostilities and restore peace as soon as possible and work together to de-escalate the situation.
[...]
"A BUNCH OF US made the request that China use its influence in Iran to not allow the conflagration to spread," Schumer said at a news conference later on Monday in Beijing, while also noting that China had "rectified" his ass < wipes tears > around Israel.

Schumer said the senators also warned Chinese leaders about holding close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
[...]

by Cat on Mon Oct 9th, 2023 at 09:39:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US' one-sided military support for Israel fuels tension: expert; wrong-footed response mirrors US failed Middle East policy | Global Times |

Wrong-footed response mirrors US failed Middle East policy

US' one-sided decision to send weapons and warships to Israel after Hamas attack will "further fuel the tension, cause more humanitarian crisis," said Chinese observers, moreover, Washington's wrong-footed response to the surprise attack also mirrored its failed Middle East policies, a result of flip-flopping and indecisiveness, commented the observers. 

Repeating its tactic of fanning up the flames as it's doing in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the US is also pressuring other countries, China included, to condemn Hamas. The US wants to morally abduct China, observers said, adding that the visit of US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can serve as a window for Washington to learn and understand China's stance on conflicts of the Middle East region. 



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Mon Oct 9th, 2023 at 10:40:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Mon Oct 9th, 2023 at 10:44:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
War Narrative by CIA Intelligence and the Pentagon ... Operation Mockingbird never folded.

Schumer Rips China Response to Israel-Hamas War on Visit | Bloomberg |

  • Bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers is in China for talks
  • China has restated support for independent Palestinian state
  • Free Palestine 🇵🇸 🇵🇸 🇵🇸

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 at 08:00:25 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    background
    Abraham Accords Declarations* (2020): IR, AE, MA, BH
    * documents per party differ

    bennet.senate.gov | Bennet Joins Bipartisan Senate Delegation Trip to Abraham Accords Countries, 12 Jan 2023
    delegation: Bennet (D-CO), Gillibrand (D-NY), Budd (R-NC), Lankford (R-OK), Kelly (D-AZ)

    axios | coop: Senator Ernst to lead U.S. delegation to Saudi Arabia, meet MBS, 4 Oct

    ... Ernst's trip to the Middle East comes amid a push by the White House to get a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel in the next few months before the presidential elections consume President Biden's agenda. Ernst and her delegation will also visit Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
    [...]
    As part of the a mega-deal talks, the White House is negotiating a potential security agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, possible U.S. support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program, and American approval for sophisticated weapons sales to the kingdom. Biden advisers are negotiating separately with Saudi, Israeli and Palestinian officials a possible peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel that could include Israeli concessions in the occupied West Bank....
    middleeasteye | US senator to lead delegation to Saudi Arabia and meet with crown prince, 6 Oct
    ...Part of the US discussions over a potential normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia have been a Saudi-US military pact and US support for a Saudi civilian nuclear programme. Earlier this week, a group of 20 Democratic senators sent a letter to the Biden administration raising
    Baldwin (WI), Carper (DE), Duckworth (IL), Durbin (IL), Fetterman (PA), Heinrich (NM), Kaine (VA), Lujan (NM), Markey (MA), Merkley (OR), Murphy (CT), Murray (WA), Ossoff (GA), Sanders (VT), Schatz (HI), Shaheen (NH), Van Hollen (MD), Warnock (GA), Warren (MA), Welch (VT)
    "A high degree of proof would be required to show that a binding defense treaty with Saudi Arabia&span;an authoritarian regime which regularly undermines U.S. interests in the region, has a deeply concerning human rights record, and has pursued an aggressive and reckless foreign policy agenda&spans;ommitment requires the U.S. to deploy substantial new permanent resources to the region," they stress
    a number of concerns over the reported concessions Washington was discussing in order to broker the normalisation agreement, especially regarding the discussion of a Saudi-US military pact and US support for a Saudi civilian nuclear programme...
    foreground
    ernst.senate.gov | Ernst, Rosen Lead Bipartisan Group Pushing Biden to Freeze Iranian Assets, 13 Oct
    Senate Armed Services Committee, Abraham Accords Caucus: Ernst (R-IA), Rosen (D-NV), Manchin (D-WV), Blackburn (R-TN), Baldwin (D-WI), Lankford (R-OK), Casey (D-PA), Sullivan (R-AK), Kelly (D-AZ), Young (R-IN), Sinema (I-AZ), Tester (D-MT), Brown (D-OH), Cortez Masto (D-NV)
    ATTN: A. Blinken "Iran-Hamas-Letter, 12 Oct

    reuters | Saudi Arabia puts Israel deal on ice amid war, engages with Iran, sources say, 13 Oct

    ...The two sources told Reuters there would be a delay in the U.S.-backed talks on normalisation with Israel that was a key step for the kingdom to secure what Riyadh considers the real prize of a U.S. defence pact in exchange....
    reuters | Bipartisan US Senators' Delegation Hears Realities Faced by Israelis in War, 15 Oct
    ...The senators met with President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Defense Ministry and IDF headquarters, the Kirya, in Tel Aviv.

    "We must maintain a critical combination that includes Israel's military power and our determination to destroy the enemy, together with ongoing US support and partnership," Gallant told the lawmakers.

    reuters | US senators to travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia to push deal, 15 Oct
    ...Discussions were expected to include what kind of support Israel needs for both military and humanitarian operations. [...] While negotiations are ongoing, Schumer earlier said he expects any spending package should include aid for Israel and Ukraine, along with possible aid for Taiwan as it faces threats from Beijing and money for the U.S. border....
    nwaonline | U.S. senators led to shelter on Israeli trip, 16 Oct Tel Aviv
    delegation: Schumer (D-NY), Rosen (D-NV), Cassidy (R-LA), Kelly (D-AZ), Romney (R-UT)
    safe passage
    by Cat on Mon Oct 16th, 2023 at 11:49:33 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Abraham Accords Declarations* (2020): IL, AE, MA, BH
    by Cat on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 at 12:40:26 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    cnn | China's top diplomat to visit Washington this week, 23 Oct "mil-mil ties"
    China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Washington, DC, later this week, senior administration officials said Monday ahead of a potential meeting [!] between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California next month.

    Wang will meet with Secretary of Stalking Antony Blinken and national security Adviser Jake Sssullivan during his trip to the US capital October 26-28, the officials said. They would not say if Wang will meet with Biden. However, Blinken met with Xi while in Beijing and one of the officials described Wang's trip as "a reciprocal visit after Secretary Blinken's trip to Beijing in June."

    Tensions between the two countries have been high but the Biden administration has been making an effort to push dialog with Beijing. Wang's trip comes as the US is looking to prevent the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a wider conflict in the Middle East and as the Ukraine-Russia war continues.

    "This visit by Wang Yi is part of ongoing efforts to maintain OPEN CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION with China across the full range of issues," the official said.
    [...]

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on October 23, 2023
    by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 01:31:42 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on October 24, 2023
    At the invitation of US Secretary of Stalking Antony Blinken, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the US from October 26 to 28.
    [...]
    Bloomberg: Just to follow up on the visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the US. Bloomberg is reporting that he will have meetings with Secretary of stalking Antony Blinken and the National Security Adviser Jake Sssullivan. Can you confirm these details and offer any more details about the trip to the US?
    [...]
    AFP: Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with the Israeli Foreign Minister. Wang said that all countries have the right to self defense. Could you further clarify Wang's statement? Does he say this in a general sense or can it be understood that China thinks Israel has the right to protect its national territory against attacks from Hamas? 
    Mao Ning: China's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is very clear. Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talked over the phone with the foreign ministers of both Israel and Palestine yesterday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has put it very clearly that all countries have the right to self defense, but should respect the international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians and it is imperative to prevent the situation from escalating and avert an even worse humanitarian disaster. 

    I would like to stress that China does not pursue any selfish interests on the Palestinian question. We sincerely hope that the Palestinian question can have a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement based on the two-state solution, so that the legitimate security concerns of all parties can be thoroughly addressed. 
    ###

    reference
    China's Position on the Political Settlement of the [INSERT NOUN] Crisis
    by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 04:38:37 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    voa | US, China Need 'Comprehensive' Dialogue, China's Top Diplomat Says (26.10.23)
    Just before his two-hour meeting with Blinken on Thursday afternoon, Wang told reporters that "China and the United States need to have dialogue" that's "in-depth and comprehensive" so that they can reduce misunderstanding and "return to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development."
    yahoo! bbc | South China Sea: Biden says US will defend the Philippines if China attacks (26.10.12)
    "In China-U.S. relations, from time to time there will be some jarring voices," he said, adding "what is right and what is wrong is not determined by who has the strongest arm or a loud voice."
    abs-cbn.PH  | Biden: China has left its partners 'dead in the noose' (25.10.23)
    His remarks came a day after U.S. President Joe Biden said [10.08.23.IN] that China's global infrastructure push, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, has left its partners "dead in the noose."
    msn reuters | Blinken, Wang meet as US-China gear up towards expected leaders summit, 27 Oct
    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's top diplomat Wang Yi reconvened for a second day of meetings on Friday as the two rival powers discuss how to manage differences while laying groundwork for an < wipes tears > expected summit between President Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping.
    [ VIDEO: 00:01:36 ]
    Wang arrived at the State Department late on Thursday and held a meeting with Blinken followed by a dinner. The two diplomats engaged again on Friday morning, sitting across from each other at a wide table with their senior aides before journalists were ushered out of the closed-door meeting. Wang is set to head to the White House and meet with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan later on Friday. He is also expected to speak with Biden, although it is < wipes tears > unclear how substantial their interaction will be.
    GT | China calls for healthy, stable ties as Wang Yi meets Blinken (27.10.23)
    The arrangement of Biden and Wang's possible meeting demonstrates how much importance the Biden administration attaches to Wang's visit, and the topics Biden may bring up with Wang could include bilateral relations and climate change. Wang's meetings with Blinken and other US officials will be on more specific details, Li [Haidong, China Foreign Affairs University] said.
    [...]
    The US has more expectations of Wang's visit and is seeking to get China's support on some issues of global concern. The US currently feels flat-footed on its global strategy, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is challenging its strength and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is burning its conscience, Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.
    [...]
    The US is not truly concerned about improving the China-US relationship, but rather creating a favorable atmosphere for the APEC meeting and maintaining stability in relations in the current stage of the bilateral relationship for its own political purposes, said analysts. US policies toward China remain unchanged, and it continues to put pressure on China from different directions, said Zhang [Jiadong, Center for American Studies, Fudan University], noting that as for how far the China-US relationship can be restored through dialogue, it will require more time for the two sides to adjust, engage and argue, which may even involve conflicts.

    by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 05:25:38 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    "debt in a noose"
    (which is not to construe, Biden's message is any less obnoxious)
    by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 05:40:47 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    VICTORY!

    Wang Yi Meets with Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan, 27 Oct

    The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to clinch a meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco.
    AP | Agreement reached for Biden-Xi talks, but details still being worked out, official tells AP (28.10.23)
    on the sidelines of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] summit in San Francisco, according to a U.S. official familiar with the planning....The official added that the two sides have still not worked out details on the exact day of the meeting, venue, and other logistics.
    Wang Yi pointed out that the biggest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is "Taiwan independence", which is also the biggest challenge facing China-U.S. relations. Wang Yi said it must be resolutely opposed and such efforts must be reflected in specific policies and actions. Wang Yi also elaborated on China's solemn position on the South China Sea issue.

    U.S.President Joe Biden Meets with Wang Yi, 28 Oct

    ...Biden asked Wang Yi to extend his greetings to President Xi Jinping and expounded on the position that the U.S. values its relations with China. He said that the U.S. is ready to maintain communication with China and jointly address global challenges....
    comment: Official state.gov (Blinken) and whitehouse.gov (Sssullivan, Biden) meeting reports do not provide any additional topics of interest or contrary remarks. After the cascade of untoward, impolitic remarks by functionaries of the previous two US administrations, I surmise, US information embargo is the principal condition for the sideline consummation of these two APEC Leaders' meeting, on or about 14 Nov. Which is not to say that press organs of either state will be denied freedom to express the ill-conceived opinions about "cooling" and "warming" TENSIONS between FORCES OF AUTHORITARIAN DICTATORSHIPS. Notwithstanding the "sensitivity" of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's avuncular dispatches from the interior of China's NATURAL MONOPOLY and CLIMATE CHANGE cooperation.

    Vitality of China-US relations lies in sub-national areas: Xi, 25 Oct 2023

    Newsom embarked on his week-long trip to China on Monday [23.10.23], focusing on issues such as climate change and economic cooperation. He visited Shenzhen on Tuesday, where he learned about the city's successful bus electrification program and took a test drive in an SUV made by Chinese electric car maker BYD. "This is another leap in technology < wipes tears >, the next-level leap," Newsom said with a thumbs-up after the test drive. When asked if he wanted to take one back to Sacramento, the governor jokingly said: "No, I want two," Shenzhen Daily reported.
    BYD's California factory rolls out first electric buses, 30 Apr 2014
    by Cat on Sun Oct 29th, 2023 at 03:34:55 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    uh oh

    mfa | Wang Yi discussed with people from the U.S. strategic community, 29 Oct Aspen Strategy Group symposium

    ...Wang Yi said that during this visit to the United States, China and the United States, in an attitude of equality and mutual respect, conducted in-depth, constructive and substantive strategic communications on many issues of common concern, and jointly sent a positive signal for stabilizing and improving Sino-US relations. Signals. Although there are still various differences and contradictions between China and the United States, and there are still many issues that need to be resolved, both sides believe that it is useful and necessary for the two major powers to maintain dialogue. Both sides hope that Sino-US relations will stabilize as soon as possible and strive for better. Both sides agreed to work together towards the realization of the San Francisco meeting of heads of state. At the same time, "leading to San Francisco" will not be a flat river, and it cannot rely on "autonomous driving." To this end, the two sides must effectively "return to Bali", put the consensus of the two heads of state into practice, eliminate interference, overcome obstacles, enhance consensus, and accumulate results....
    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 30, 2023
    AFP: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently said that the preparation work for the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Biden cannot be left to autopilot. What conditions need to be met to confirm the meeting?
    Wang Wenbin: Thank you for raising that question. To answer your question, let me briefly go over the visit to the US by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi from October 26 to 28 at US invitation. During the visit, Wang Yi met with US President Joe Biden and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan respectively and held two rounds of talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Wang Yi also met with representatives of the US strategic and business communities.
    [...]
    Wang Yi said, looking back at the twi[s]ts and turns in the course of China-US relations since the beginning of this year, the experience is worth summarizing and the lessons need to be drawn. The key is to follow the "five musts". The two sides must follow the common understandings reached by the two heads of state; must stabilize bilateral relations; must keep communication channels open; must properly manage differences, disputes and frictions; and must promote mutually beneficial cooperation. Wang Yi stressed, to stabilize and improve China-US relations, the two sides should also have objective understandings of each other's strategic intentions, correctly view the competitive factors in the exchanges between China and the US, and define the concept of national security.
    [...]
    During the visit, the two sides, in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, held in-depth, constructive and substantive strategic communication over various issues of mutual interest and jointly sent out a positive signal of stabilizing and improving China-US relations. Both agree that it is useful and necessary for our two major countries to keep up dialogue. Both hope to see the bilateral relationship stabilizing as soon as possible and moving towards improvement. The two sides agreed to work together for the meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco. As for your question, I want to stress that it won't be  plain sailing to San Francisco, nor can we leave it to  autopilot to get us there. Both sides need to earnestly return to what was agreed in Bali, act on the common understandings of the two Presidents, rise above disruptions, overcome obstacles, expand common understandings and accumulate outcomes.  

    In the coming days, the two sides will hold separately China-US consultations on maritime affairs, China-US consultations on arms control and non-proliferation, China-US consultations on foreign policies, and China-US Coordination Meeting on Disability Affairs and discuss the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in disability affairs. The two sides agreed to further increase direct passenger flights. 

    translations don't write themselves, yo
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 05:18:58 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    "five musts"

    Today a flurry of G7 associated press triumphant headlines, citing WH Press Secretary Jean-Pierre, asserted that Biden snatched the gold ring of capitulation: Xi is on his way.

    T -12 days to APEC, this is what Jean-Pierre said yesterday to reporters.

    Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, President Biden hopes to meet President Xi face to face next month.  Is the U.S. considering lowering tariffs or easing sanctions or making some gesture to make sure that meeting happens face to face?...
    Q So -- so, it's the --....
    Q -- Chinese -- it's the Chinese not saying yes at the moment?
    JEAN-PIERRE: To what?
    Q  To a face-to-face meeting?
    JEAN-PIERRE:  We -- I mean, we've been talking about it.  The President said he's looking forward to meeting -- to meeting with President Xi. And -- and so, I'm not going to get into details about this -- this meeting that's going to happen in the nex- -- this -- well, tomorrow is November -- next month. It's going to be in San Francisco.  It's going to be a constructive meeting.  The President's looking forward to it.

    And that -- I think that should answer your question.
    Q That, yes, the meeting is happening?
    JEAN-PIERRE:  I --
    Q  The -- the face-to-face?
    JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes.  (Laughs.)

    This is how GT responded today: China again stresses 'road to San Francisco cannot rely on autopilot,' avoiding confirming San Francisco summit, even after state.gov lifted sanctions against HK exec John Lee just so he, too, may enter the US circus tent.

    yes, indeed, it appears crack heads from D.C. to Brussels are incapable of intelligible speech much less sincere expiation. Can Biden be house trained before the summit? Seems improbable.

    by Cat on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 11:49:17 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    voiceofeurope | $4 billion allocated to boost critical mineral production for US renewable energy, 24 Oct
    [...]
    The $2 billion pledge will double the existing critical minerals facility's scope to $4 billion, facilitating the supply of resources and reducing reliance on China, aligning commercial and security interests. Australia's Resources Minister, Madeleine King, will meet with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and industry leaders to discuss the financing plan, aiming to alleviate shortages in American companies producing batteries, wind turbines and other technology.
    whitehouse | Australia-United States Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact (20.05.23)
    Through this mechanism, the relevant departments and agencies from both countries intend to coordinate the implementation of our respective clean energy supply chain strategies and develop a new action plan by the end of 2023 to encourage stronger industrial collaboration and accelerate progress towards our ambitious climate goals.
    [...]
    Australia and the United States commit to work with partners in the context of the Climate Information Services Taskforce and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure under the Quad and the Access to Climate Finance Working Group under the Partners in the Blue Pacific, to improve Pacific Island countries' ability to access data and finance for adaptation and resilience.
    [...]
    The Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, announced by Albanese and Biden earlier this year, will be underpinned by this finance scheme. However, tensions have arisen due to substantial US subsidies for renewable energy under the Inflation Reduction Act, causing concerns among some Australian business leaders about the impact on investment in Australia when compared to the sizable US subsidies.

    minister.industry.gov.au | $2 billion critical minerals boost crucial to energy transition, 25 Oct

    The Albanese Government has announced a $2 billion expansion in critical minerals financing, which will solidify Australia's position as a world leading provider, help the transition to net zero, boost the economy and support more jobs and opportunities for Australians.

    Critical minerals, including rare earths, are the building-blocks for a clean energy future, and are essential to achieving Australia's energy transition. This significant commitment will double the capacity of the Critical Minerals Facility to finance Australian critical minerals mining and processing projects.

    This expansion of the Critical Minerals Facility takes the Government's value-adding investments in Australian resources to $6 billion. Investing in critical minerals financing will bolster the sector in Australia, resulting in technology, skills, jobs and economic benefits for Australians.
    [...]

    Axel | Trade talks collapse between EU and Australia, 29 Oct

    "Unfortunately, we have not been able to make progress," [AU Trade Minister Don] Farrell said in a video statement after informal discussions between Canberra and Brussels. "Negotiations will continue and I am hopeful that, one day, we will sign a deal that benefits both Australia and our European friends."

    The talks, held on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 trade ministers in Japan, were seen as a last-ditch attempt for the two sides to bridge remaining gaps.
    [...]
    Before heading to Osaka, Farrell said that failure to reach a deal now would mean having to wait until the next European Commission is appointed after next June's European elections. Getting better access to the large European market for beef, sugar and sheep meat is an imperative for Australia's large agricultural sector. For Brussels, an agreement would grant better access to Australia's vast reserves of strategic minerals. Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski was also in Japan to take part in the negotiations.

    archive Tue Apr 4th 2023
    by Cat on Sun Oct 29th, 2023 at 11:44:46 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:41:53 PM EST

    'Italy or death'. EU extended borders crumbling. Juntas consolidate power. Expel western partners.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 12:11:51 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    iranpress | UN Security Council holds meeting on Al-Aqsa storm operation
    Diplomatic sources announced that the UN Security Council meeting on the escalation of tensions in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories will be held behind closed doors on Sunday evening. Brazil, which assumed the Security Council's rotating presidency this month, condemned the surprise Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday that killed dozens of people and prompted the Israeli military to launch deadly air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Brazil hopes to prevent escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 11:30:54 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 12:14:42 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    UK home secretary says waving Palestinian flag could be an offence, 10 Oct
    ...In a letter on Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman called on police forces to be alert for displays of Hamas flags or logos or other demonstrations of support for the Palestinian militant group.
    Dear all,

    You will be aware of, and no doubt share my disgust at, the barbaric terrorist attacks we've seen committed against Israel in recent days. Sadly, experience indicates that whenever Israel is attacked, Islamists and other racists, seek to use legitimate Israeli defensive measures as a pretext to stir up hatred against British Jews and increase fear within the Jewish community.
    [...]
    As you know, Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK in its entirety. It is therefore a criminal offence for a person in the UK to:

    • belong to Hamas
    • invite support for Hamas
    • express support for Hamas whilst being reckless as to whether the expression will encourage support of it
    • arrange a meeting in support of Hamas
    • wear clothing or carry articles in public which • arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of Hamas or
    • publish an image of an article such as a flag or logo in the same circumstances...

    Hamas was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government in 2021. But Braverman also called on police to consider the context in which Palestinian flags are waved to assess whether public order offences of harassment or incitement may have been committed.

    "Behaviours that are legitimate in some circumstances, for example, the waving of a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism," she wrote.....

    punchline | 10th region of India's diaspora
    ...What has been a matter of speculation assumed habitation and a name when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet on Saturday underscored India's "solidarity" with Israel....
    by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 02:14:48 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    usnews | Palestine slogan "From the River to the Sea" now punishable in Berlin, 11 Oct
    ..."Fundamentally it is this 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free', a PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) slogan that has been adopted by Hamas," [police chief Gerhard] Puerstl said when asked to explain what he meant by "codes" that had been included in online invitations to the protest.

    The river is the Jordan and the sea is the Mediterranean, between which lie Israel and the Palestinian territories. The phrase is often chanted at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Puerstl said the police interpreted that in the current context as a "clear call to violence", adding that it meant wiping Israel off the map...

    1915-16 MacMahon-Hussein Correspondence
    Exchange of letters between Sir Henry MacMahon, British High Commissioner for Egypt and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca during the period 1915-16. MacMahon proposed to the Sherif that—in return for a rebellion against the Turkish forces—Britain would stimulate national independence in the Arab speaking world.Two important points are: The precise borders of the future Arab state were not agreed upon in particular because Britain was concerned not to prejudice the interests of her ally, France. Palestine was not mentioned by name in the correspondence and its inclusion in the Arab area remains a source of some dispute amongst historians....
    un.org | Mandate for Palestine, 12 Aug 2022 (EN, FR)
    The Council of the League of Nations:
    Whereas ther Principal Allied Powers have agreed, for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of Article 22 of the Covenant of the Leage of Nations, to entrust to a Mandatory selected by the said Powers the administration of the territory of Palestine, which formerly belonged to the Turkish Empire, with such boundaries as may be fixed by them; and...
    1918-20 - British Military Administration in Palestine
    Following the British conquest of Palestine and its immediate hinterland, the British established a military administration known as Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (O.E.T.A.). Notwithstanding the issuance of the Balfour Declaration in November 1917, the British continued to apply Ottoman law in Palestine. It was only after the Paris Peace Conference (1919), and the San Remo Conference (1920) had established the principle whereby Palestine should become a British mandate territory, that the civil administration began operating.
    Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have also agreed that the Mandatory should be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 2nd, 2917, by the Government of his Britannic Magesty, and adopted by the said Powers, in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being cleary understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country ...
    1920-48 - The British Mandate over Palestine:
    Britain was awarded the Mandate for Palestine by the League of Nations at the San Remo Conference in 1920, although its terms of reference were ratified only two year later. Britain was to be responsible for implementing the Balfour Declaration through negotiations with "an appropriate Jewish Agency... by facilitating Jewish immigration ...and encouraging close settlement on the land." The Mandate also recognized the historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine.
    Article 4
    An appropriate Jewish agency shall be recognised as a public body for the purpose of advising and co-operating with the Administration of Palestine in such economic, social and other matters as may affect the establishment of the Jewish national home and the interests of the Jewish population in Palestine, and, subject always to the control of the Administration [of Palestine], to assist and take part in the development of the country. The Zionist organisation, so long as its organisation and constitution are in the opinion of the Mandatory appropriate, shall be recognised as such agency. It shall take steps in consultation with His Britannic Majesty's Government to secure the co-operation of all Jews who are willing to assist in the establishment of the Jewish national home.
    [...]
    Article 26
    The Mandatory agrees that, if any dispute whatever should arise between the Mandatory and another Member of the League of Nations relating to the interpretation or the application of the provisions of the mandate, such dispute, if it cannot be settled by negotiation, shall be submitted to the Permanent Court of International Justice provided for by Article 14 of the Covenant of the League of Nations....
    by Cat on Sat Oct 14th, 2023 at 07:07:29 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    aljazeera | Germany bans Hamas flag, PKK symbols under new 'terror' rules, 25 June 2021
    haaretz | Berlin Police Claim pro-Palestine Chant Is Banned at Jewish-led Nakba Day Rally, 24 May 2023
    bnn | Berlin Authorities Ban Palestinian Protests Amid Safety Concerns; Arrests Follow, 12 Oct 2023
    thejournal.ie | France orders ban on all pro-Palestinian protests, 13 Oct
    F24 | Protesters in New York [City] call for a 'free Palestine'
    reuters | Australia police weigh special powers ahead of pro-Palestinian protest, 13 Oct
    "Countries across the developed world are curbing pro-Palestinian protests out of concern the Israel-Hamas conflict could trigger violence at home. France banned pro-Palestinian protests on Thursday saying they were likely to 'generate disturbances to public order'."
    by Cat on Sat Oct 14th, 2023 at 07:44:05 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    jpost | Sieging [sic] Gaza is not illegal or 'collective punishment', says NJAC director
    Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, took to Twitter on Thursday to tackle accusations that Israel would be in violation of international law by enacting a siege on Gaza.
    [...]
    He couches his argument largely in the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC), which are a series of regulations on armed conflict originating in the Geneva and Hague Conventions. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly publishes documents detailing the LOAC. The LOAC is also cited in both American and British military training manuals as part of the regulations soldiers must follow.
    [...]
    Three principles
    "The central feature of the LOAC is to prevent unnecessary casualties and protect innocent civilians," said Goldfeder. This is done "through the application of three fundamental principles: distinction, military necessity, and proportionality."
    [...]
    He summed up the understanding of siege law as "Sieges are lawful unless deliberately aimed at starving the local population."
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 12:52:02 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    GT | UNSC seeks 5th attempt on resolution for cease-fire while US' one-sided support of Israel hints at a blow to international efforts, 31 Oct
    [...]
    The United Arab Emirates and China called for an emergency meeting of the UNSC on Monday after Israel expanded its ground operations into Gaza over the weekend, according to media reports.
    [...]
    The core on whether a new resolution can be passed by the Council relies on how the US chooses to act. However, given that Israel's ground operations in Gaza are still in their early stages and have not yet achieved their strategic objective, the US may not abandon its prior biased backing of Israel at the Council, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.
    [...]
    China assumes UNSC presidency for November. Perhaps the delegation's dread "assertiveness" will upset the BAU agenda in the chamber.
    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 06:55:22 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    A yellow Star of David with the words "Never Again" is worn by Israel United Nations Ambassador Gilad Erdan as he speaks during a Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas war at U.N. headquarters on October 30, 2023 in New York City © Getty Images / Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 10:39:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    My first reaction @TikunOlam to stunt ...

    Gilda Erdan's stunt at the UNSC selling out the Holocaust ... how deep can an Israeli stoop? Wearing the symbol of German atrocities during WWII, the Star of David. In my personal memory he may as well be wearing the Deutsche SS Helmet.

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 12:18:13 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Yad Vashem head: Erdan's yellow star stunt at UN 'dishonors Holocaust victims, Israel' | Times of Israel |

    Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum director Dani Dayan calls out Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan for donning a yellow Star of David during his address to the Security Council yesterday, saying it "dishonors both the victims of the Holocaust 🕯️ and the State of Israel 🇮🇱 ."

    "The yellow patch symbolizes the helplessness of the Jewish people and being at the mercy of others. Today we have an independent country and a strong army," Dayan tweets.

    "We are masters of our destiny. Today we place a blue-white flag on the lapel, not a yellow patch," he adds.

      [link added is mine - Oui]


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 12:29:02 AM EST
    [ Parent ]

    msn businesstoday: China's two tech giants - Alibaba and Baidu - have removed the name of Israel from their digital maps, a move that could upset Tel Aviv.

    wsj | Israel Goes Unnamed on China Online Maps, 30 Oct

    Internet users in China are expressing bewilderment that the name Israel doesn't appear on leading online digital maps from Baidu and Alibaba, an ambiguity that matches Beijing's vague diplomacy in the region and contrasts with its attentiveness to maps generally.
    Baidu's Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognized borders of Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories, plus key cities, but don't clearly identify the country by name. The same is true with online maps produced by Alibaba's Amap, where even small nations like Luxembourg are clearly marked. Neither company responded to questions on Monday. It is unclear whether the development is new, though it has been discussed by Chinese internet users since war broke out.

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 31, 2023

    Reuters: It appears that the Baidu and Alibaba Gaode maps do not immediately show Israel unless people search for the country on those maps. Is there a reason that these platforms don't identify Israel on their maps? Has China asked these platforms that provide map services to remove Israel? Also, does China still recognize Israel as a sovereign state?
    Wang Wenbin: I believe you are aware that China and Israel have a normal diplomatic relationship. As for your questions, the relevant country is clearly marked on the standard maps issued by the Chinese competent authorities, which you may refer to.
    RT | Chinese tech giants 'cancel' Israel
    ...The companies did not respond to media requests for comment. According to the publication, it is unclear when exactly the name Israel was removed from their maps, but web users have apparently been discussing the development since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict earlier this month.
    According to local reports, the Chinese internet has been overflowing with anti-Semitic comments over the past month, which may be the reason behind the disappearance of Israel's name from the maps. The Israeli Embassy in China was recently forced to close the comment section under its official account on the Weibo platform, following a slew of verbal attacks from users....

    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 11:22:18 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    1,075 years, a Trump, and 4 days ago...

    Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on fifth day of Sukkot

    Dozens of Israeli settlers have forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark the fifth day of Sukkot, according to the Islamic Waqf Department. Since Sunday, thousands of settlers have been carrying out provocative tours of the mosque complex following calls by ultranationalist Jewish groups.
    KEEP READING
    • Israeli forces attack Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque (17 Sep)

    • Israeli forces kill Palestinian teenager in East Jerusalem (30 Aug)

    • Israeli police arrest and brand Palestinian with 'Star of David': Report (18 Aug)

    • Israeli minister dismisses US 'terror' label after deadly settler attack (8 Aug)
    According to Jewish law, entering any part of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, is forbidden for Jews due to the sacred nature of the site. Sukkot is a weeklong holiday, which started on September 29 and will continue until Friday [6 Oct].

    Israeli settlers stormed the complex on Wednesday in groups through the al-Mughrabi Gate by the Western Wall near Al-Aqsa Mosque and attempted to perform "Talmudic rituals", according to a Waqf official.
    [...]

    wut: Hapless Netanyahu Was Totally Unprepared for Attack, yesterday
    The SUDDEN, MASSIVE attack unleashed by Hamas against Israel on Saturday has its roots in a long history of conflict. It may seem to echo past attacks, but it is very different in several key respects.

    First, it is by far the most complex attack yet orchestrated by Hamas against Israel. Secondly, it caught Israel completely UNAWARE and, in many respects, unprepared. In fact, it represents the biggest Israeli INTELLIGENCE failure in at least half a century [50 YEARS]. Finally, while Israelis and the world were justifiably outraged at HAMAS' BRUTALITY, the anger of millions of Israelis including many close to their security services was also directed at what was seen as the catastrophic MISMANAGEMENT of Israeli national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration.
    [...]

    wtf: A Quick Look at Hamas, The ISLAMIST militant group
    Hamas has since been responsible for suicide attacks against Israeli civilians, and the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers. The United States is among the countries that have deemed it a TERRORIST group. But Hamas is also the governing power [ELECTION 2006] in the Gaza Strip.
    G7 2008 GWOT: "The United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the UK have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization"
    Unlike the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO], led by Yasser Arafat Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist as a state and has spoken about driving all Jews from the region. It has advocated an uncompromising position on the creation [?] of a Palestinian state based on UN Resolution 181, 1947 ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM stretching from the Mediterranean east to the Jordan River.
    [...]
    wtaf: In Israel, 'Never Again' Just Happened Again, today
    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 12:01:18 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    think of the children, 14 Oct
    bbc | Children among dead after strike hits fleeing convoy on Gaza 'safe' route
    At least 12 people, including young children, have been killed after a convoy of vehicles heading toward southern Gaza was hit. The Palestinian Health Ministry has blamed Israel for the attack. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) says it is investigating.
    ahram.or | Egypt warns against pushing civilian Palestinians towards Egyptian borders: Al-Qahera News (09.10.23)

    The sources added that Egypt intensified its communications with all relevant parties in the international community to halt the escalation and preserve the lives of the Palestinian people. The sources emphasized that Cairo's vision was far-sighted when it warned everyone about the danger of the situation and its implications for the core issues of the Palestinian cause. They stressed the peril of calls for displacement, as they could lead to the evacuation of the region's inhabitants and the undermining of the Palestinian issue itself, in addition to the fact that Egyptian sovereignty is not to be violated.

    wsj | Gazans Seek Safe Passage From Targeted Areas
    Israel said it is not targeting civilians and the military said it had no indication it was behind the bombing. In the past, militants in Gaza have fired rockets that have landed within the enclave ["tageted areas"?], killing civilians.

    tbs | Children among dead as fleeing Palestinian convoy struck on evacuation route
    More than a million Palestinians were told on Friday [13.10.23] to relocate ahead of an expected Israeli [air and] ground offensive. The evacuation area ["enclave"?] includes the whole of Gaza City and two major refugee camps, Jabalia and Beach Camp.

    sky | IDF 'looking into circumstances' of airstrike on convoys fleeing Gaza City - video
    Hamas has claimed the strike was carried out by Israel and reported 70 are dead and 200 injured.


    who are not Palestinian
    reuters | US advises its citizens in Gaza to move closer to Egypt's Rafah [border check-point]
    to be ready for its possible reopening amid the humanitarian crisis in the ["]coastal enclave["] after a Hamas attack in Israel drew Israeli military retaliation. Washington has been working with Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to open the Rafah crossing on Saturday afternoon to allow Palestinian-Americans to leave, a senior State Department official said earlier.

    "We have been trying to facilitate access for it to be open from 12 to 5 today. The Egyptians, the Israelis and the Qataris have been working with us on that," the official told reporters travelling with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

    NY Yella Cake | [Hyphenated-]American citizens say the border [check-point] is still closed
    stranded at Gaza's border with Egypt  despite a U.S. official saying earlier that an agreement had been reached to allow them safe passage for the blockaded enclave [sic]. The official said the both Israel and Egypt had agreed to allow ["]Americans["] to go through the Rafa [check-point] from Gaza between 12 and 5 p.m. local time. But as of 4 p.m., the crossing remained closed according th two families
    cnn | Egyptian authorities are not allowing US nationals to enter Egypt from Gaza, local media says
    Egyptian authorities are not allowing US nationals and citizens of other countries to enter Egypt through the Rafah border [check-point] on Saturday, insisting that the [border check-point] must also facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Alqahera News, a local Egyptian news channel.
    Turkish Foreign Minister: we appreciate Egypt's efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause
    during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry

    German foreign minister: the humanitarian situation in Gaza must be taken into account
    so as not to fuel the suffering of the population hatred

    "Egyptian authorities have rejected the idea of using the Rafah [border check-point] only for foreigners. They added that, 'The Egyptian position is clear,' and that it requires the facilitation of the entry and passage of aid to the Gaza Strip," Alqahera News said, quoting Egyptian sources.
    State Department tells some Palestinian-Americans that Rafah Crossing "may be open"
    ...The United Nations on Thursday [12.10.233] said it was informed by the Israeli military that "the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours," but IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN Friday that any deadline "may slip." The State Department official told the press traveling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the US' focus has been "on [hyphenated] American citizens, but other countries you could presume are engaged in trying to get their foreign nationals out as well."...
    A Palestinian border official told CNN Saturday morning that concrete slabs were being placed at the Rafah [border check-point], blocking all gates. The slabs were being placed by a winch visible on the Egyptian side of the [border], the official told CNN.

    "Hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports flocked to the Rafah border [check-point] Saturday and have been sat in the streets for hours, waiting to cross," the official said. "The gates are closed, and no one is being let through.

    "Unfortunately, the [border check-point] is closed. There is no crossing for any traveler or any holder of Arab or foreign residency or otherwise," the Palestinian border official told CNN.
    There are an estimated 500-600 Palestinian-Americans in Gaza.

    7 Oct massacre?, ICYMI
    Stunning footage shows IDF capture Hamas leader, overtake terrorists, leading to rescue of 250 hostages, 14 Oct
    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released stunning footage showing the moment an elite unit of soldiers rescued 250hostages alive near the Gaza Israel security fence. Known as the elite "Shayetet 13" unit, the group of soldiers is basically Israel's Navy SEALS, and they proved it wonderfully on Oct. 7th.

    "The soldiers are seen armed with what appears to be American M-4 carbines equipped with suppressors. Notably, at the 26-second mark, one team member is spotted with what seems to be a LAWS anti-armour rocket launcher," according to WION.
    [...]
    According to the IDF, 60+ Hamas terrorists were "neutralized" and another 26 "apprehended" during the mission, including a top Hamas deputy commander. Release of the footage comes amid reports that at least 150 Israeli hostages remain trapped in Gaza, where they were taken after being kidnapped.

    metro.co.uk | Moment 250 hostages are rescued after Israeli soldiers retake military post - 6-days-old "Flotilla Unit" bodycam video

    ibid 16 Sep: state.gov Israel Visa Waiver Program, 10-11 Oct: whitehouse.gov "safe passage" briefings, 12 Oct History of Rafah Crossing in Netanyahu's Security State Blown Up

    by Cat on Sat Oct 14th, 2023 at 05:46:52 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    cnn | One man killed, two journalists injured during Israeli military raid in West Bank, 5 Oct
    The two journalists injured were identified as photojournalists Mahmoud Fawzy and Louay Samhan who work for the Palestinian Authority television network Palestine TV, Palestinian authorities said. The Israel Defense Forces said that the cause of their injuries is "unknown."
    NY Yella Cake | A Reuters cameraman is killed and six other journalists are injured near Lebanon's southern border, 13 Oct
    Reuters confirmed Mr. Abdullah's death and said two other Reuters journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, had been injured and were seeking medical care. The news service said it was gathering more information and working with authorities in the region but did not provide additional details.
    Two journalists from Al Jazeera, Karmen Bakindar and Eli Brakhia, were also injured on Friday along Lebanon's southern border, the Qatari broadcaster said.
    Agence France-Presse [AFP] said two of its journalists were also injured, and in an article on its wire service said Christina Assi, a photographer, and Dylan Collins, a video journalist, were taken to a hospital in Tyre, Lebanon, for treatment.
    aljazeera | Palestinians fleeing Gaza's north face air attacks in southern Khan Younis
    However, those who fled to southern Khan Younis found no reprieve from Israel's bombardment, as warplanes struck a four-storey building on Saturday, killing and wounding several people. Dozens of Palestinians could be seen rushing to rescue people trapped in the rubble.

    At least 2,215 Palestinians, including 724 children, have been killed and 8,714 others wounded since the conflict's escalation. In the past 24 hours alone, 324 Palestinians have been killed and 1,000 others have been wounded in Israeli air raids in Gaza, according to the health ministry.

    "There are thousands of people and thousands more are still coming after Israel's order to evacuate to southern Gaza's Khan Younis and Rafah. The two governorates are packed with people beyond capacity", Al Jazeera's Youmna ElSayed said from Khan Younis. She said that Khan Younis is suffering from food and water shortages.

    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 12:28:45 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    14 Dec 2021: Pentagon-led investigation called the drone strike an "honest mistake."

    IDF denies striking Gaza evacuation convoys 'on purpose', 15 Oct 2023

    ...While not completely ruling out the possibility of a "freak accident," IDF spokesperson Lt. Colonel Jonathan Conricus insisted on Sunday that "there was no targeting of vehicles, there was no targeting of civilians" referring to Friday's incident, in which dozens of people were killed or injured. The spokesman demonstrated a video showing cars driving down Salah al-Din road, following an Israeli evacuation order, before an explosion hit one of the vehicles.

    "I'm not a forensic expert, I won't be able to say if this is a roadside IED or if this is a strike from above. But what I am able to say with confidence, because we have asked, is that the IDF did not purposely strike in that area," IDF spokesperson Lt. Colonel JonathanConricus said....

    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 01:21:19 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    For the record that's the distinctive cadance of Christiane Amanpour questioning President Isaac Herzog's collective punishment technique. (12.10.23)
    Israel 'delays Gaza operation due to bad weather' as it gears up for '18 month invasion'(14.10.23)
    Israeli troops could be ordered to spend 18 months in the Gaza Strip as Tel Aviv's forces gear up for an offensive in the Hamas-controlled enclave ["targeted area"? lair?]. A Hamas officer told the New York Times that the terror group was waiting for Israeli troops to enter Gaza so they could ambush them using a vast tunnel network.

    Senior Israeli officials told the paper that the anticipated ground invasion of Gaza had been delayed due to the weather preventing air cover needed to move in the troops. Some of the political and military leadership in Israel are urging a door-to-door operation in Gaza which could take as long as 18 months, according to the report.

    The delay has given Palestinians living in Gaza more time to flee the area after Israel issued a warning urging around 1.1 million people to head south. Holding the operation has also likely given Hamas more time to prepare for the Israeli invasion.

    Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus [!] said: "It's really important that people in Gaza know we've been very, very generous with the time. We have given ample warning, more than 25 hours."

    < wipes tears >
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 09:34:53 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    timesofisrael | Israel blasts UNRWA for claiming it's blocking aid to Gaza: 'Simply a lie', 19 May 2021
    ..."During the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza yesterday, via Kerem Shalom crossing, Hamas deliberately bombed the crossing, resulting in the death of two civilians, and over 10 injured, including an IDF soldier," it says. "Today, yet again, Hamas's barrage of mortars halted the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

    "UNRWA's claim that Israel is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza is a cynical misrepresentation and simply a lie," it says. "This is not the first time UNRWA has chosen to twist the facts and misrepresent events, for the sole purpose of blaming Israel... Israel will continue its efforts to coordinate the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza, taking into account security considerations."...

    ahram.org | Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza from Egypt as it strikes Rafah crossing on Palestinian side, 10 Oct 2023
    ...Meanwhile, Israeli media outlet N12 reported that Israel informed Egypt that it would strike any aid trucks entering Gaza via Rafah....
    aljazeera | Alarm as Israel again hits Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, 10 Oct
    ...Witnesses had said the second attack hit the no-man's land between the Egyptian and Palestinian gates, damaging the hall on the Palestinian side. The Israel military said it could "neither confirm or deny" any attack on the crossing "at this point", the AFP news agency reported....
    guardian | Aid flights land in Egypt amid efforts to open safe corridors into Gaza, 14 Oct
    ...Egypt controls the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, but under an agreement between Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized full control of Gaza in 2007, supplies entering from the south require Israeli approval....
    newarab | Israel blocks $30 million Qatari aid to Gaza, 14 Oct
    according to a report by Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday. The monthly payment was stalled as Israel also launched fresh air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, blocked fuel imports into the Palestinian territory and restricted its permitted fishing zone. As part of an informal truce deal between Hamas and Israel in November 2018, the Jewish state allows millions of dollars in Qatari aid to enter the besieged territory....
    trtworld | Aid for Gaza stuck in Egypt with Rafah crossing still closed, 15 Oct
    Already, shipments of aid from Jordan, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates had arrived at El Arish airport—50 kilometres west of Rafah—alongside enough medical supplies supplied by the World Health Organization to meet the needs of 300,000 people. Egypt itself has sent a convoy of 100 transport trucks carrying 1,000 tonnes of aid.
    [...]
    On Saturday, an American official confirmed to AFP that Egypt and Israel had reached an agreement to allow American citizens to leave Gaza via Rafah. However, Egypt has imposed conditions on the deal. Officials refused for "the crossing to be designated for only foreigners to cross," according to Egyptian news channel Al-Qahera News, which has ties to Egyptian intelligence agencies.
    [...]
    Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on Friday: "Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home".
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 04:05:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    timesofisrael | Freed hostages transferred to Israeli hands, on way to hospital to meet families
    24 Oct local time
    Deal to free 50 dual-citizens reportedly held up by fuel demand * Rocket squads in southern Lebanon hit for fourth time in day' * US says military advisers sent to Israel

    Hamas releases video claiming to show handoff of hostages
    In the video, the two women, wearing identical purple robes, walk unsteadily holding the hands of masked gunmen, who also offer them snacks and drinks. Both appear terrified through much of the footage. The pair are then seen walking to a vehicle where a person in a Red Cross vest waits. Just before the propaganda video ends, Lifshitz turns to shake the hand of one gunman as she walks away.
    [...]

    cnn | Hamas spokesman among scores detained in occupied West Bank, 20 Oct
    A Hamas spokesman is among more than 60 members of the militant organization detained by Israel in overnight raids across the West Bank, the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory that is increasingly feeling the impact of the fighting in Gaza....
    Palestinians protest in West Bank after Hamas official dies in Israeli custody
    A mass demonstration has erupted in the Palestinian city of Tubas following the death of a local Hamas official, Omar Daraghmeh. The man was arrested by the IDF one week ago and died on Monday in an Israeli prison in unclear circumstances.
    [...]

    by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 10:04:32 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    As is the custom, westworld media buried Netanyahu's latest, 11th hour (23:06) war of aggression declaration, televised 7 Oct. "Little Israel" channels haven't uploaded a record to YouTube, not even Netanyahu's vanity mirror. So. Which flavor of unprovoked terrorism remains?

    jpost | Netanyahu: Gazans should flee, IDF to avenge 'black day'

    RT | Netanyahu vows to turn Gaza into 'ruins'

    And what does Netanyahu really want?

    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 02:09:37 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    8 Oct, 3.00 p.m. - Consultations of the whole (closed) - agenda: Middle East, Other matters
    (9 Oct, 10.00 a.m - 9431st meeting - Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine)

    news.un.org | UN engages parties as Security Council meets
    UNIFIL detected artillery fire exchange at Lebanon-Israeli "Blue Line" (no casualties)
    UNRWA sheltering 73,538 internally displaced people in 64 of its schools in all areas in Gaza, one of which "directly hit" (no casualties), urges restraint and UNFIL liaison co-ordination
    UNSCO debrief for EG, EU, LB, QA, US "contacts", urges humanitarian aid to Gaza

    obligatory leak
    barrons AFP | US, Israel Urge Hamas Condemnation At Security Council, 15 attending

    The United States on Sunday led calls for condemnation of a Hamas assault on Israel as the United Nations Security Council opened an emergency session on the crisis.

    "I expect to hear from the other Council members very strong condemnation of these heinous acts of terrorism committed against the Israeli people and their government," senior US diplomat Robert Wood told reporters as he entered the closed-door session.
    [...]
    A closed-door session would not bring a formal resolution, but diplomats said that talks on even reaching a non-binding statement were difficult.

    China said it would support a statement: "We condemn all attacks against civilians," Ambassador Zhang Jun said, while adding that China also wanted a return to the Middle East peace process....

    Israel's ambassador, Gilad Erdan, showed graphic pictures of Israeli civilians being taken captive by Hamas...."Israel must be given steadfast support to defend ourselves—to defend the free world."...

    The Palestinian ambassador—who represents the West Bank-centered Palestinian Authority and not rival [?] Hamas—called on the Security Council to focus on ending Israeli occupation....

    offsides
    Turkish lawmaker sets out only way to stop Israeli-Palestinian violence
    ..."This turmoil in the Middle East will not end until the State of Palestine becomes completely independent," [speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan] Kurtulmus said in a speech in Istanbul, adding that any such state must be "well-established with its institutions and organizations."

    "It is now obvious that there is no other way than this two-state solution," he said. Kurtulmus also called for the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 to be adhered to; in November 1967 it called for Israeli withdrawal from territories it had occupied in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 in exchange for regional peace....

    Lavrov, Arab League Chief to Focus Talks on Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
    Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit in transit at Lavrov's invitation to meet in Moscow, Monday, 9 Oct.
    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 10:44:33 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    telesur | Saudi Arabia Calls OIC Meeting to Discuss Gaza Conflict, 10 Oct
    Saudi Arabia has called for an urgent meeting of the 57 countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the conflict in Gaza. The sources did not specify the date of the meeting, which is expected to be determined through the OIC's contacts with member countries.

    The summons comes one day before the emergency meeting that the Arab League foreign ministers are scheduled to hold on Wednesday in Cairo. It also comes after Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman, received a phone call from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in which Abbas warned against "the military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings, and the deteriorating situation that threatens the lives of civilians, as well as security in the region."
    [...]
    The OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is the largest political bloc of Islamic countries and includes non-Arab Muslim states such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

    OIC (1969 NGO): AZ, AE, IR, IQ, BD, TR, TN, SN, SL, GA, GW, QA, KW, ML, MR, YE, JO, ID, PK, AF, UZ, BH, AL, UG, BN, BJ, TM, BF, TJ, TG, TD, DZ, SA, SS, SD, SY, SR, SO, OM, GM, GY, GN, PS, KM, KG, KZ, CM, CI, LB, LY, MV, MY, EG, MA, MZ, NE, NG
    The organization has condemned the "aggression against Gaza" and held Israel responsible for the escalation for "disregarding international resolutions" related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
    [...]

    Biden calls Hamas terror attack 'sheer evil', 10 Oct
    WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
    • The World Health Organization calls for a humanitarian corridor to allow medical supplies into the Gaza Strip
    • The US, UK, Germany, France, and Italy pledge support for Israel
    • Israel says its south is now largely secure after Hamas fighters infiltrated by land, air and sea
    • More than 1,000 people have died in Israel and around 830 in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides
    by Cat on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 at 09:35:39 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Iran, Iraq call for emergency OIC meeting on Palestine | 8 Oct. 2023 |

    Tehran, IRNA - The foreign ministers of Iran and Iraq have called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the ongoing developments in Palestine.

    Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has voiced his country's readiness to host an emergency ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the situation in Gaza.

    Much attention from China 🇨🇳 for the OIC meeting to take place. Xinhua News

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on October 9, 2023

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 at 10:56:44 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 07:31:44 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    UPDATING LIVE: UN General Assembly convenes emergency meeting on Gaza, 26 Oct
    The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday morning, in New York, is holding an emergency special session on the Israel-Gaza conflict, amid a continuing deadlock at the Security Council, and conditions in the besieged enclave growing more dire by the hour. Follow this page for live updates...
    [...]
    Under the "Uniting for Peace" landmark resolution, adopted by the General Assembly in 1950 [the Situation® in Korea], the body can convene an "emergency special session" within 24 hours, should the Security Council "fail to exercise its primary responsibility" for the maintenance of international peace and security.
    The Situation® in Palestine
    This tenth Emergency Special Session was convened for the first time in April 1997, following a request from Qatar. It followed a series of Security Council and General Assembly meetings regarding the Israeli decision to build a large housing project in an area of East Jerusalem. The Session last came together on 13 June 2018 to consider a draft resolution entitled "Protection of the Palestinian civilian population". At the end of that session, the Assembly decided to adjourn "temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States."
    [...]
    Yesterday, RT broadcast cycled a 4 min segment of Gilad Erdan ranting that reporting "two sides" of the Israel-Palestine conflict aided Hamas; this journalism is morally, thically indefensible; he ought to know bc he was a journalist for 30 years.

    Today, RT is broadcasting this Emergency Session LIVE. Sadly, When I tuned in, Erdan, equipped with corpse illustration, had resumed his ahhh one-sided "We are being attacked by NAZI Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon".

    news.un | At war with Hamas: Israel, 10:58 AM , 26 Oct

    Gilad Erdan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to UN, said that the 7 October massacre and what ensued "has nothing" to do with the Palestinians, the Arab-Israeli conflict or the Palestinian question.

    "This is not a war with the Palestinians, Israel is at war with the genocidal jihadist Hamas terror organization. It is the law abiding democracy of Israel against modern day Nazis" he said.

    He went on to note that Hamas does not care about Palestinian people, peace or dialogue. Its only goal is to "annihilate Israel and murder every single Jew on the face of the Earth."

    Jordan's FM Safadi follows with rhetorical questions regarding starvation as weapon: "I don't have pictures to show you. We respect the dead." (APPLAUSE).... Iran's FM then proceeded to utter the G-word (not Gaza, the other one)

    LIVE stream
    UN, Tenth Emergency Special Session, 26 Oct

    Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory
    The tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly was convened for the first time in April 1997, following a request from the Permanent Representative of Qatar.

    The session followed a series of Security Council and General Assembly meetings regarding the Israeli decision to build Har Homa, a 6,500 unit housing project, in the Jabal Abu Ghneim area of East Jerusalem.

    The tenth Emergency Special Session was last resumed on 13 June 2018 to consider a draft resolution entitled "Protection of the Palestinian civilian population", at the request of Member States

    Letter dated 23 October 2023 from the President of the General Assembly to the Member States (EN) requests by JO, MR (OIC), NI, RU, SY, ID, KH, LO, VN, LA, BG, TL, MV, MY, BN,
    by Cat on Thu Oct 26th, 2023 at 04:05:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 12:48:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Not so long ago—that is in my lifetime in a civilized democracy—concerned broadcasters had to wait at least 36 hours for reporters in combat zones to can, ship, develop, and edit 3 minutes of film footage that recorded atrocities suffered by our "warriors".

    Thank goodness the internet changed everything.

    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 12:58:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Internet, phone service gradually returns after vanishing for most of Gaza amid heavy [Israeli] bombardment, 29 Oct miracle
    That's a welcome development for Gaza following a communications blackout that began late Friday as Israel expanded ground operations and launched intense airstrikes that illuminated the night sky with furious orange flashes. A rare few Palestinians with international SIM [!] cards or satellite phones took it upon themselves to get the news out.

    By Sunday morning, though, phone and internet communications had been restored to ["]many people["] in Gaza, according to telecommunications providers in the area, Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org [o RLY?] and confirmation on the ground.
    [...]
    Local journalists posting daily on social media scavenged the 360-square-kilometer (140-square-mile) territory to find even a spotty connection. Some moved closer to the southern border with Egypt, hoping to pick up that country's network. Others had foreign SIM [!] cards and special routers [VPN proxy] that connected to Israel's network.
    [...]
    Doctors Without Borders said the group had not communicated with its team in Gaza since since 8 p.m. Friday.

    "We are not able to send our team to different facilities because we have no way to coordinate with them," Guillemette Thomas, the regional medical coordinator, said from Paris. "That's really a critical situation."

    archive carrier SIM cards
    by Cat on Sun Oct 29th, 2023 at 09:26:35 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    aljazeera | Can Elon Musk's Starlink provide internet service to Gaza?, 29 Oct
    As Gaza experienced a near-total communications blackout on Friday, a campaign began trending on social media platforms, calling on billionaire tycoon Elon Musk to power the bombarded enclave [sic] with Starlink internet.
    [...]
    "But let's say Starlink got in. How will it be powered? There is no fuel in Gaza right now."
    [...]
    On Saturday, Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi lashed out at Musk on the social media platform X for considering provision of Starlink to aid organisations in Gaza. Karhi said Israel will cut off any ties with Starlink.

    "HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities. There is no doubt about it, we know it, and Musk knows it," Karhi said. Musk responded by saying that his company is "not so naive" and would do "a security check with both the US and Israeli governments before turning on even a single terminal".
    [...]

    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 06:13:10 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Will anyone survive to attest or remember with certainty when Israel's defense force may or may not have started a historic, "strategic" ground offensive into the bowels of Gaza to rescue 200 mostly Israeli women and child hostages? WHO WILL DECIDE that those people are either credible, innocent witnesses or enemy collaborators? An anonymous US government official with knowledge of the matter perhaps will leak sensitive information to demonstrate OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION with partners, rivals, competitors, and possibly adversaries.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 01:16:12 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Washington Examiner | Hamas releases video of hostages criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu (30.10.23)
    Hamas released a video of three hostages on Monday in which kidnapped women criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The three women featured in the video are among more than 200 people who have been held against their will in Gaza since Oct. 7, the day Hamas and other terror groups based in Gaza launched an unprecedented terror attack in southern Israel.
    haaretz | At the Height of War With Hamas, Netanyahu Declared War on Israel (30.10.23)
    Instead of soul-searching, Netanyahu pins the blame for the October 7 catastrophe on defense chiefs. 'If he falls, the country falls,' claims one of the prime minister's associates.
    NY Yella Cake | 'Israel is Fighting the Enemies of Civilization Itself,' Netanyahu Says (30.10.23)
    He rejected the idea of a cease-fire, backed by humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly, among others, adding, "calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism."
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 09:02:03 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Arab League "proxy" or "lone wolf" lottery-winner? You be the judge.
    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 11:43:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    CBS News | Israel has "extra burden" of doing everything it can to protect innocent lives in Gaza (30.10.23)
    Because Gaza is so densely populated, Kirby said, Israel has the "extra burden of making sure that they're doing everything they can to protect innocent life" in the Palestinian territory.

    "How they're doing that, that's really for them to speak to," said Kirby. He said the U.S. and Israel have been in constant communication about the importance of respecting innocent civilian life and the laws of war, and about minimizing civilian casualties to the maximum extent possible. He also said the U.S. is not "evaluating each and every strike" by Israel, and is not going to react "in real time" to every operation they conduct.

    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 09:14:00 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    So much bull and falsehoods ... this is truly UNFIT TO PRINT

    Disgusting nonsense 😡

    See recent emergency UNGA debates and Special Investigative Committee Navi Pillay, former High Court judge of South Africa 🇿🇦... getting rid of Apartheid and Reconciliation. No more peace "process" but an independent and Free Palestine from the Green Demarcation line to the Jordan river 🇵🇸 🇵🇸 🇵🇸

    plus words spoken by British prosecutor Johnny comes late 😎

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 09:57:58 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    AP arithmetic:Israeli forces cuth Gaza, 10,000 Palestinian deaths, some 1,400 Israelis have died (06.11.23)

    What is Gaza's Ministry of Health and how does it calculate the war's death toll?, 26 Oct

    There have also been conflicting accounts of the [al-Ahli Hospital] explosion's death toll. Within an hour, Gaza's ministry reported 500 Palestinians killed, then lowered that to 471 the next day. Israel says the ministry inflated the toll. American intelligence agencies estimate 100 to 300 people killed, but haven't said how they arrived at the numbers. The confusion has called into question the ministry's credibility in the Hamas-ruled territory.
    [...]
    archive "I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed" (25.11.23)
    Thursday [26 Oct], in response to U.S. doubts over its figures, the ministry released a 212-page report listing every Palestinian killed in the war so far, including their names, ID numbers, ages and gender. A copy of the report shared with the AP names 6,747 Palestinians and says an additional 281 bodies have not yet been identified. The list did not provide a breakdown by location.
    10 day ago: 7,028 dead
    [....]
    The Health Ministry doesn't report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or other means, like errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of "Israeli aggression." That lack of transparency has drawn criticism.

    "When the Hamas health agency comes out with the numbers, take it with a pinch of salt," Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, Israeli military spokesman, said in a briefing Thursday. But he repeatedly declined to offer any alternative number of Palestinian casualties.

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on November 6, 2023
    [...]
    Wang Wenbin: The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in over 11,000 deaths, mostly civilians. The past few days in particular have seen Palestinian civilian casualties rocketing and catastrophic humanitarian situation engulfing Gaza. This tragedy is a challenge to human conscience and affront to the basic norms of international relations. The international community must not allow it to continue. China condemns and opposes acts that harm civilians and damage civilian facilities and violate the international humanitarian law. We urge relevant parties to exercise maximum calm and restraint, immediately stop fighting, do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of civilians and hospitals as well as other civilian facilities under the special protection of the Geneva Convention, open up humanitarian aid corridors, and prevent the humanitarian disaster from getting even worse.
    [...]
    by Cat on Mon Nov 6th, 2023 at 06:29:15 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations
    A/RES/ES-10/21, 27 Oct 2023

    NOT VOTING BENIN, BURKINA FASO, BURUNDI, CAMBODIA, ESWATINI, JAMAICA, LIBERIA, N FIJI, RWANDA, SAMOA, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE, SEYCHELLES, TOGO, TURKMENISTAN,

    ABSTAIN: ALBANIA, AUSTRALIA, BULGARIA, CABO VERDE, CAMEROON, CANADA, CYPRUS, DENMARK, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, GEORGIA, GERMANY, GREECE, HAITI, ICELAND, INDIA, IRAQ, ITALY, JAPAN, KIRIBATI, KOREA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, MOLDOVA, MONACO, NETHERLANDS, NORTH MACEDONIA, PALAU, PANAMA, PHILIPPINES, POLAN, ROMANIA, SAN MARINO, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH SUDAN, SWEDEN, TUNISIA, TURKMENISTAN, TUVALU, UKRAINE, VANUATU, URUGUAY, UNITED KINGDOM, VENEZUELA, ZAMBIA

    YES: AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, ANDORRA, ANGOLA, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, BAHAMAS, BAHRAIN, BANGLADESH, BARBADOS, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BELIZE, BHUTAN, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, BOTSWANA, BRAZIL, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC,  CHAD, CHILE, CHINA, COLOMBIA, COMOROS, CONGO, COSTA RICA, COTE D'IVOIRE, CUBA, DPR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO,  DJIBOUTI, DOMINICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EGYPT, EL SALVADOR, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ERITREA, FRANCE, GABON, GAMBIA, GHANA, GRENADA, GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU, GUYANA, HONDURAS, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRELAND, JORDAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, KUWAIT, KYRGYZSTAN, LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, LEBANON, LESOTHO, LIBYA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LUXEMBOURG, MADAGASCAR, MALAWI, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, MALI, MALTA, MAURITANIA, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, MONTENEGRO, MOROCCO, MOZAMBIQUE, MYANMAR, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NIGER, NIGERIA, NORWAY, OMAN, PAKISTAN, PERU, PORTUGAL, QATAR, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, SAINT LUCIA, SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES, SAUDI ARABIA, SENEGAL, SIERRA LEONE, SINGAPORE, SLOVENIA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, SOMALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, SRI LANKA, SUDAN, SURINAME, SWITZERLAND, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC, TAJIKISTAN, THAILAND, TIMOR-LESTE, TANZANIA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, TURKIYE, UGANDA, UZBEKISTAN, VIET NAM, YEMEN, ZIMBABWE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

    NO: AUSTRIA, CROATIA, CZECHIA, FIJI, GUATEMALA, HUNGARY, ISRAEL, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MICRONESIA, NAURU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PARAGUAY, TONGA, UNITED STATES

    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 03:56:40 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Gaza receives largest aid shipment so far as deaths top 8,000, 29 Oct
    [...]
    Israel has allowed only a trickle of aid to enter. On Sunday, 33 trucks of aid entered the only border crossing from Egypt, a spokesperson at the Rafah crossing, Wael Abo Omar, told The Associated Press. After visiting the Rafah crossing, the chief prosecutor [Karim Khan] of the International Criminal Court [ICC] called the suffering of civilians "profound" and said he had not been able to enter Gaza.
    [...]
    The Israeli military said Sunday it had struck over 450 militant targets over the past 24 hours, including Hamas command centers and anti-tank missile launching positions. It said ground forces killed a number of Hamas militants as they exited one of their extensive network of Gaza tunnels near the Erez crossing, which was the sole pedestrian passageway into Israel before it was destroyed in the fighting. The Hamas military wing said its militants clashed with Israeli troops who entered the northwest Gaza Strip with small arms and anti-tank missiles. Palestinian militants have continued firing rockets into Israel.

    The aid warehouse break-ins were "a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza," said Thomas White, Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. "People are scared, frustrated and desperate."
    [...]
    The head of civil affairs of COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel had established a "humanitarian zone" near the southern city of Khan Younis [!] and recommended that Palestinians flee there. But Elad Goren provided no details on the exact location or how much aid would be available. He also said Israel has opened two water lines in southern Gaza within the past week. The AP could not independently verify that either line was functioning.
    [...]
    An Israeli airstrike hit a two-story house in Khan Younis on Sunday, killing at least 13 people, including 10 from one family. The bodies were brought to the nearby Nasser Hospital, according to an AP journalist at the scene.
    [...]

    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 05:51:11 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    unwra | THE GAZA STRIP: Thousands breaks into UNRWA warehouses in Gaza, taking wheat flour and basic items, 29 Oct
    Yesterday [28.10.23], thousands of people broke into several UNRWA warehouses and distribution centres in the middle and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, taking wheat flour and other basic survival items like hygiene supplies. One of the warehouses, in Deir al-Balah, is where UNRWA stores supplies from the humanitarian convoys coming from Egypt.  

    "This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza. People are scared, frustrated and desperate. Tensions and fear are made worse by the cuts in the phones and internet communication lines. They feel that they are on their own, cut off from their families inside Gaza and the rest of the world," said Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the Gaza Strip.
    [...]
    To date, just over 80 trucks of aid crossed into Gaza in one week.  On Saturday, 28 October, there was no convoy due to the blackout in communications. UNRWA—the main actor for the reception and storage of aid in the Gaza Strip—was not able to communicate with the different parties to coordinate the passage of the convoy.  

    "The current system of convoys is geared to fail. Very few trucks, slow processes, strict inspections, supplies that do not match the requirements of UNRWA and the other aid organizations, and mostly the ongoing ban on fuel, are all a recipe for a failed system. We call for a regular and steady flow line of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip to respond to the needs especially as tensions and frustrations grow," concluded White.  

    Meanwhile, UNRWA teams in Gaza have reported that internet services and connections were restored [?]. They will reassess the situation with the aim of resuming convoys and distribution of assistance this morning.  

    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 06:10:01 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    unwra | SITUATION REPORT #17: Gaza Strip and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, 30 Oct
    • In the last 72 hours, another 10 UNRWA staff have been killed, bringing the total to 63 UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October.

    • Nearly 672,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are sheltering in 149 UNRWA installations across the Gaza Strip, facing increasingly desperate conditions. The ability to provide lifesaving assistance has been further hindered by the 36-hour disruption in communications that affected the whole Gaza Strip, including humanitarian organizations, between 27 and the early hours of 29 October.

    • Israeli Security Forces (ISF) operations, involving Palestinian fatalities, have been reported in Jenin and Qalqilya refugee camps on 27 October.

    • According to OCHA, 115 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since 7 October, including 33 children.

    • Several incidents of settler violence were also reported between 26 and 28 October, targeting Palestinians harvesting olives. One Palestinian fatality was reported in a village near Nablus during an attack of armed settlers on 28 October.

    • Of the total displaced in UNRWA shelters, over 511,000 persons are sheltering in 92 shelters in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas, an increase of around 13,000 IDPs since the last update. More IDPs keep approaching UNRWA premises to seek a safe haven. The shelters, however, have no further capacity nor space to host new IDPs, forcing many people to sleep on the streets.

    • The total number of IDPs across the Gaza Strip is estimated at around 1.4 million. On top of the IDPs hosted in UNRWA shelters, according to the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza, approximately 121,000 IDPs are in public institutions, primarily hospitals. Among them, up to 60,000 people are currently seeking shelter at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Some 79,000 IDPs are in government schools and about 550,000 are taking shelter in host communities.
    [...]
    • The Israeli authorities continue to impose severe movement and access restrictions across the West Bank, cutting off entire Palestinian towns and communities from the main roads. Since 7 October, four refugee communities have been under full lockdown and curfew, with limited to no access to basic services. These includes: (i) Wadi Alhussen, in Hebron H2, affecting 40 refugee households; (ii) Jabir neighbourhood also in Hebron H2; (iii) Wadi Foquin, affecting 30 refugee households; (iv) Al-Walajah, affecting 25 refugee households.

    • During an ISF operation in Jalazone refugee camp and surrounding areas, several Palestinians from the refugee camp were detained, including a child. A tear gas canister fired by the ISF landed inside the grounds of an UNRWA office.

    • Reportedly, 12 persons from the Bedouin community of Zanuta in Hebron governorate, including five children under 10, were displaced due to the coercive environment that they face, including exposure to settler violence. This is in addition to more than 450 people displaced in Area C of the West Bank since 7 October.
    [...]

    UNWRA Situation Reports index page
    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 03:15:39 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    wut: In surprise visit to Gaza border, ICC chief prosecutor says blocking aid could be war crime
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 06:37:28 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    guardian | Australian voice referendum, 15 Oct data visualiation
    Predicted outcome: Voice to fail
    Votes counted: 78.2%

    What was the question?
    gov.au | Referendum question and constitutional amendment

    "A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
    "Chapter IX Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

    129. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

    In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

    (i) there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

    (ii) the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

    (iii) the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures."

    Do you approve this proposed alteration?"
    No reparations for you!
    reference
    The Doctrine of Discovery, 1493
    European "exploration" and christian epistemology
    Acquisition of Territorial Sovereignty
    savages, beasts, and terra nullius
    Occupation and Acquisitive Prescription
    21st cen. imperial discourse on international law
    'Doctrine of Discovery', Used for Centuries to Justify Seizure of Indigenous Land, Subjugate Peoples, Must Be Repudiated by United Nations, Permanent Forum Told
    First Peoples, First Nations rebel
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 06:25:50 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 06:15:22 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Posted earlier @TikunOlam in lively debate ...

    Herzl was a man of his time.

    Zionism and German Colonial Fantasies

    The fallacy of colonizing Palestinian land should never have become doctrine of the Jewish State. Colonizers throughout history of mankind brought with them Genocide of the indigenous peoples. See the life of Raphael Lemkin (1900-1959):

    According to Lemkin, colonization was in itself "intrinsically genocidal" He saw this genocide as a two-stage process, the first being the destruction of the indigenous population's way of life. In the second stage, the newcomers impose their way of life on the indigenous group.

    Lemkin's idea of genocide as an offence against international law was widely accepted by the international community and was one of the legal bases of the Nuremberg Trials. In 1945 to 1946, Lemkin became an advisor to Supreme Court of the United States Justice and Nuremberg Trial chief counsel Robert H. Jackson. The book became one of the foundational texts in Holocaust studies, and the study of totalitarianism, mass violence, and genocide studies.


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 09:24:51 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    lesahel.org | Release NUMC: an investigation into the escape attempt failed and the former President of the Republic, 20 Oct
    'On this day Thursday, October 19, 2023, at approximately 03 hours of the morning, the ousted President Mohamed BAZOUM with his family, his two cooks, and two elements of security has attempted to escape from his place of detention. This attempt failed and was the result of a plan designed as follows:

    Phase 1: escape to a first recovery point in the vicinity of the presidential palacee, which was waitin for a vehicle, unmarked;

    Phase 2: this vehicle whould lead them to a safehouse in the district Tchangarey on the nothern outskirts of the city of Niamey;

    Phase 3: this is the safehouse, a move would be provided to two helicopters belonging to a foreign power who are supposed to slip at Bimi Kebbi, Nigeria.

    The rapid reaction Forces of Defence and Security (SDS) has helped to thwart the plan of destabiliation of our country.

    For the time being, the main authors and some of their accomplices have been arrested. The prosecutor of the Republic, seized of the case, has already opened an investigation. The situation is under control.

    The National Board for the Safeguarding of the country and the government want to reassure the national and international public opinion of their firm determination to lead the transition to its term in accordance with the aspiration of the people of Niger, dignified and sovereign.

    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 05:08:12 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    consilium.europa.eu | Niger: EU sets up an autonomous framework for restrictive measures, 23 Oct dissociative disorder
    This decision demonstrates the European Union's resolve to sanction those who undermine the stability, democracy, rule of law in Niger, and constitute a threat to peace and security in the region. This new autonomous framework for restrictive measures is set to make a tangible contribution in supporting the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) towards swift return to constitutional order in Niger.
    The EU has from the very beginning condemned the coup d'état in Niger in the strongest terms. With today's decision, the EU strengthens its support to ECOWAS' efforts and sends a clear message: military coups bear costs. In order to safeguard the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or activities that support basic human needs in Niger, this new regime includes a humanitarian exemption.
    — Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    [...]
    archive Niger: Decolonization, Resources and Military Intervention
    by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 10:38:36 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Thid Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

    The splash page animation is a hoot! A high-speed pre- prequel of The Wandering Earth (2019) and Wandering Earth II (2022) trailer. (Those are very entertaining feature-length flicks exploring "international cooperation" in the late 21st century and applications of Murphy's Law, dressed with astounding High Tech Artificial Intelligence and "the Singularity" humor stymied by puny human errors.) All without APPL 4 nm computing power! Or soft porn! PREPOSTEROUS.

    Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

    by Cat on Mon Oct 16th, 2023 at 04:27:10 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on October 16, 2023
    Sky News: Are you able to offer any more information about which countries from the Middle East might be sending delegations to the Belt and Road summit due to start tomorrow? Are you able to clarify whether any delegates from Israel might be attending and are you able to offer information about whether there will be any additional meetings on the sidelines of the Belt and Road that might not have been previously planned to try and help diplomatic efforts in the Middle East?
    Mao Ning: Thank you for your interest in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. All interested countries are welcome to participate in the forum. There will soon be information about countries that will participate.

    We have stated our position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on multiple occasions. China calls on relevant parties to immediately cease fire and restore peace. We will keep working with the international community to that end. 
    [...]
    NHK: How many countries and which leaders will attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation?
    Mao Ning: The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held starting from tomorrow, so please keep following the latest updates and specific information about the forum will be available very soon.
    [...]
    Reuters: May we know how many foreign leaders or heads of state are coming to Beijing to attend the Belt and Road forum?

    Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at the talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi, Beijing, October 16, 2023 (16.10.13)
    ...We are grateful to our Chinese friends for inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to be the guest of honour at the Third Belt and Road International Forum. We regard this project as an important part of promoting cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit throughout the Eurasian continent. Relations between the Belt and Road Initiative project and the EAEU, the SCO, ASEAN, and other organisations that operate in this geopolitical and geo-economic space are developing in this direction.

    We are interested in the success of the Third Belt and Road International Forum and are confident that it will be. The very fact that almost 150 delegations from different countries and organisations will participate in it underscores the importance of this project and its excellent prospects....

    Mao Ning: There is a great deal of attention and focus on the BRF right now. The forum will open soon. There will be relevant information in due course.


    Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
    by Cat on Mon Oct 16th, 2023 at 09:02:45 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Toast by H.E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China at the Welcoming Banquet of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (17.10.23)
    It is a great pleasure to meet and gather with so many friends. On behalf of the Chinese government and people and in the name of myself and my wife, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all distinguished guests attending the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation....
    "Top Stories"
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (2023-10-17)
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić (2023-10-17)
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape (2023-10-17)
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (2023-10-17)
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali (2023-10-17)
    • Xi Jinping Meets with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2023-10-17)
    • Li Qiang Meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (2023-10-17)
    • Li Qiang Meets with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2023-10-17)
    • Li Qiang Meets with President of Chile Gabriel Boric (2023-10-17)
    • Zhao Leji Meets Respectively with President of Vietnam, President of Kazakhstan, and Prime Minister of Thailand (2023-10-17)
    • Wang Huning Meets with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić (2023-10-17)
    • Cai Qi Meets with Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet (2023-10-17)
    • Han Zheng Meets with Vice President of Nigeria Kashim Shettima (2023-10-17)
    • Wang Yi Meets with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (2023-10-17)
    Project library: 28 short features (EN) captions
    by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 05:34:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    CEO Conference, speakers
    • Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng
    He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is willing to improve the level of infrastructure connectivity, push forward the expansion and upgrading of trade cooperation, and actively explore new cooperation fields with all parties.

    He called on entrepreneurs to carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit and play a bigger role in promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

    • John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR
    • Jose Vinals, chairman of Standard Chartered Group
    • Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA Power
    More than 1,000 people including government officials, representatives of international organizations, and renowned entrepreneurs attended the conference.
    archive ACWA Power, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, He Lifeng
    by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 06:03:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Building an Open, Inclusive and Interconnected World for Common Development, Keynote Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping
    [...]
    Over these 10 years, we have stayed committed to this founding mission. Thanks to our joint efforts, Belt and Road international cooperation has gotten off the ground, grown rapidly and produced fruitful outcomes.

    Belt and Road cooperation has extended from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America. More than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents. We have held two sessions of the BRF before, and have established over 20 specialized multilateral cooperation platforms under the BRI.

    Belt and Road cooperation has progressed from "sketching the outline" to "filling in the details", and blueprints have been turned into real projects. A large number of signature projects and "small yet smart" people-centered programs have been launched.

    Belt and Road cooperation has expanded from physical connectivity to institutional connectivity. Important guiding principles for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation have been laid down, which include the principle of "planning together, building together, and benefiting together," the philosophy of open, green and clean cooperation, and the goal of pursuing high-standard, people-centered and sustainable cooperation.
    [...]
    Now, I wish to announce eight major steps China will take to support our joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

    First, building a multidimensional Belt and Road connectivity network. ...
    Second, supporting an open world economy. ...
    Third, carrying out practical cooperation. ...
    Fourth, promoting green development. ...
    Fifth, advancing scientific and technological innovation. ...
    Sixth, supporting people-to-people exchanges....
    Seventh, promoting integrity-based Belt and Road cooperation. ...
    Eighth, strengthening institutional building for international Belt and Road cooperation. China will work with its BRI partner countries to strengthen the building of multilateral cooperation platforms covering energy, taxation, finance, green development, disaster reduction, anti-corruption, think tank, media, culture and other fields. China will continue to host the BRF and establish a secretariat for the Forum.
    [...]

    by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 06:11:22 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    fmprc | President Xi Jinping Holds Talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin
    At the noon of October 18, President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was in China for the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).

    President Xi pointed out that President Putin's attendance at the BRF for the third time in a row demonstrates Russia's support for the Belt and Road cooperation. Russia is an important partner of China in Belt and Road international cooperation. Major infrastructure projects including the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline are up and running, delivering tangible benefits to the two peoples. China will work with Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) to forge stronger synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the EEU, and carry out regional cooperation at a higher level and greater depths. President Xi expressed his hope for early substantive progress in the China-Mongolia-Russia natural gas pipeline, successful Great Tea Way cross-border tourism cooperation, and the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor as a road for high-quality interconnected development.
    [...]
    President Putin noted that during President Xi's successful state visit to Russia in March, he and President Xi had in-depth discussions on many major issues and the consensus reached is being earnestly implemented. The evolution of the international landscape fully proves President Xi's strategic judgment that the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century. Russia is ready to work with China to enhance communication and coordination in BRICS and other multilateral mechanisms, defend the international system based on international law and promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system. There is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. Russia is firmly committed to the one-China policy and firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia is ready to take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year to further advance the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

    The two heads of state also had in-depth exchange of views on the Palestinian-Israeli situation.

    archive Ruble and Yuan
    by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 08:17:12 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 08:54:55 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:42:13 PM EST
    by Cat on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 11:56:46 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    NY appellate court denies Trump's fraud trial stay, vacates cancelled business licenses, 6 Oct People v. Donald J. Trump et al.
    ...In that 1,154-page court filing motion, Trump's legal team wrote that Judge Arthur Engoron's decision imposed "unauthorized, undemanded, overbroad relief" to the New York attorney general's office, which will result in "significant, irreparable harm" to the former president and his business....
    reference
    Donald J. Trump et al. | Appeal No: 2023-04925
    Memorandum of Law in Support of a Stay Pending Appeal Pursuant to CPLR 5519 (c)
    OTSC | Disposition, 6 Oct 2 pp pdf
    archive The Don Cheeto
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 02:14:36 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    IRS weighed Hunter Biden felony charge for raiding daughter's college fund of $40K after he spent most of it on drugs, hookers, 6 Oct GRAPHIC WARNING
    ...The disclosure is one of many made to the House committee by Ziegler and IRS Special Supervisory Agent Gary Shapley, who both allege the Justice Department "slow-walked" their probe of Hunter Biden and blocked them from taking certain investigative steps—including examining evidentiary trails that could lead to his father, President Biden....
    reference
    STATEMENT OF JOSEPH ZIEGLER (WHISTLEBLOWER X), 2 Aug 9 pp Affidavit #1 pdf
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 02:21:47 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Former federal judge rips Washington Post over 14th Amendment editorial, 2 Oct Call 800-OPI-NION
    ...Several experts, lawmakers and activists have argued this clause could disqualify Trump from the 2024 ballot for his alleged actions in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol....
    reference
    The Sweep and Force of Section Three, 14 Aug Baude & Paulson, 126 pp pdf
    Atlantic | The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again, 19 Aug Luttig & Tribe
    wapoo | The 14th Amendment can't save the country from Donald Trump, 2 Oct editorial
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 02:39:51 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Biden administration reaches settlement on family separations,16 Oct
    [...]
    Under the settlement, family separations will essentially be banned for the next eight years, with exceptions for national security, safety of the child, medical emergencies and some criminal warrants....provide mental health, medical and housing assistance to affected families, as well as legal immigration services....allow eligible family members to remain in the United States.

    "As part of the agreement, the government has agreed to extend the ongoing parole processes for class members that allow them to reunify with their separated parent or legal guardian or child in the United States. The settlement will also give certain additional family members an opportunity to live with the unified parent or legal guardian and child in the United States," an administration official said.

    The plaintiffs had sought financial compensation from the government, but the Biden administration has resisted that claim, which is not part of the settlement agreed to Monday.
    [...]

    archive Biden says $450K payments..., Welcome to America
    by Cat on Sun Oct 22nd, 2023 at 08:29:58 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Saladin's Gate, Rafa
    As more Palestinians with foreign citizenship leave Gaza, some families are left in the lurch, 2 Nov
    [...]
    Nizar, who declined to give his last name for fear that it could hurt his chances of getting out, jumped up when he heard Hamas authorities call Zainab's name from the loudspeaker at the crowded Rafah terminal. But border officials quickly told him that U.S. [hyphenated]citizens were the only ones allowed to evacuate and that the rest of his family couldn't cross into Egypt. Many families, they said, had been separated for this reason.
    First British nationals cross into Egypt from Gaza (01.11.23)
    [...]
    The U.S. embassy in Israel didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the issue of families being separated at the border. Secretary of Stalking Antony Blinken was set to visit Israel on Friday to discuss the conflict.

    The United States has publicly blamed Hamas for the delay in reopening Rafah, while neighboring Egypt, wary of receiving an influx of Palestinian refugees, has blamed Israel for repeatedly bombing the crossing and imposing tight controls. On Thursday, an Israeli bomb landed near the Rafah terminal, killing and wounding several people.

    'The first step': Americans among initial group of civilians to leave Gaza. (01.11.23)
    Egypt began allowing foreign passport holders and some wounded civilians trapped in the Gaza Strip to flee through the Rafah crossing Wednesday as the humanitarian crisis intensified and the war's combined death toll reported by Palestinian and Israeli authorities climbed above 10,000.
    [...]
    The list of those who would be allowed to leave that was distributed to dual nationals trapped in Gaza on Thursday included scores of Americans, as well as citizens from a handful of other countries ranging from Switzerland to Sri Lanka. How the names landed on that list and in that order remained a mystery. Palestinians struggled to get answers.

    Jason Shawa, a Seattle-born translator whose wife and daughters don't have [US] American passports and weren't on the list, said the entire process was bewildering.
    [...]

    reference
    Crusades Timeline:  7 Sep 1191-4 Mar 1193, al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Dunya wa'l-Din Abu'l Muzaffar Yusuf Ibn Ayyub Ibn Shadi al-Kurdi
    Saladin's Gate, Jerusalem
    Saladin's Gate, Cairo
    Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
    by Cat on Thu Nov 2nd, 2023 at 06:13:07 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    U.S. Supreme Court to hear social media free speech case, 22 Oct operators
    ...The court, which granted certiorari on Friday [20 Oct], could be poised to issue a landmark decision in the case, known as Louisiana and Missouri et al. vs. Biden et al. [5th Cir. opinion], to define the federal government's ability to clamp down on censor speech from social media platforms.
    [...]
    The May 2022 lawsuit was brought by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt over what the two prosecutors say is the Biden administration's censorship of conservative views political speech on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty's order issued on July 4 prevents the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, and members of the president's executive office from having any discussions with social media companies about "encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech."...

    archive Judge limits Biden, Missouri v Biden "accountability", Twitter Files, OSHA arguments
    reference
    supremecourt.gov | Vivek H. Murthy, Surgeon General, et al. (appellants) v. Missouri, et al.,
    feat. cert dissent by Scalito

    New York flouts court order by demanding social media platforms censor users over Israel-Hamas war, 19 Oct Volokh, et al. v. James (01.12.22)

    Ten months after the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sued New York Attorney General Letitia James, she is once more violating the First Amendment by pressuring private companies to act as government proxies for censorship—and violating court orders to do it.

    FIRE is calling on the attorney general to retract an Oct. 12 letter she sent to social media platforms, demanding they provide information about what they are doing to "stop the spread of hateful content" related to the Israel-Hamas war and report back to her about their editorial policies and practices....

    VICTORY: A day after FIRE's intervention, New York rescinds letter, Oct 20
    archive Free Speech, A Trip to the Woodshed
    by Cat on Sun Oct 22nd, 2023 at 08:53:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    thehill | How each ["]Speaker candidate["] voted in overturning [sic] 2020 election results, 22 Oct
    Electoral Count Act of 1877 FAIL
    ...Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that any candidate who voted to reject the results [sic] of the 2020 election should be disqualified from running for the Speakership.

    Hours after a mob of rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, 139 House Republicans voted to object to the election results [sic] in either Arizona, Pennsylvania or both. The vote to overturn [sic] Arizona's election results failed 121-303 and the vote to overturn [sic] Pennsylvania's results failed 138-282....

    archive The State of Georgia vs Donald J. Trump, et al,
    Sect. 4....Upon such reading of any such certificate or paper, the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any. Every objection shall be made in writing, and shall state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof, and shall be signed by at least one Senator and one Member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received. When all objections so made to any vote or paper from a State shall have been received and read, the Senate shall thereupon withdraw, and such objections shall be submitted to the Senate for its decision; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall, in like manner, submit such objections to the House of Representatives for its decision...
    Georgia County Sued Over Rejection of Absentee Ballots, What surprises me is...
    by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 01:46:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    thehill | Outreach, not blame, can bring Black voters to the polls, 22 Oct
    Last week, Louisiana voters chose a new governor, Jeff Landry. I say the "voters chose" him but what really happened was that only a small fraction—about 36 percent of registered voters statewide—even turned out at all, in what's described as the lowest-turnout gubernatorial election in a dozen years in the state.  
    [...]
    Predictably, questions of how this happened zeroed in on the issue of low Black voter turnout as a component of overall low turnout as if Black voters didn't care enough to turn out in an election that had serious consequences for their lives and well-being. This was more than a little annoying to Black Louisianans. "After Jeff Landry's low-turnout Louisiana win, Black voters refuse to take all the blame," said one headline [18 Oct 2023].
    "This election, it's like Democrats didn't even try."
    Perry voted on Saturday for Landry's lone Democratic opponent, Shawn Wilson, who garnered just 25.96 percent of the vote, exit polling showed. Some Louisiana Democrats as well as pollsters outside of the state were disappointed with the result and called out Black voters who showed low turnout, sparking debate on social media....
    archive like clock work, magical margin of error, NEW! uses for the Enforcement Act of 1870/1, You ain't black, Knee-gro-whisperers unleashed
    by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 03:36:57 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    rollcall | Does Speaker Johnson realize some of his best constituents are Black?
    I applaud the realization that all parties on both sides of such relationships [AEI: trans-racial adoption] have opportunities to learn and grow. At the same time, I think it's fair that reporters question just how formal the relationship between congressman and child has been, and why this child is conspicuously missing from family biographies and photographs.

    I don't know much about Johnson's ward, son or however he would describe the man, also named Michael, except what I've learned when he makes a cameo appearance in a pithy yarn from the new speaker.

    Amy Coney Barret confirmation hearing, 12-13 Oct 2020
    [...]
    In the case of popular movie "The Blind Side," a young Michael Oher was already a gifted, smart and hard-working young man and athlete with admirable Black role models, not the nearly mute cypher portrayed as a vessel for the Tuohy family's largess in an Oscar-winning film. Oher, in his own voice, said as much in books and when he took his "family" to court to sever a conservatorship that was never an adoption.
    Sandra Bullock opens up about being a mother to her 2 Black children
    [...]
    Reparations? Johnson is against awarding any kind of compensation to ["]descendants of those discriminated against["], locked out of an equal shot at the American dream for generations.
    archive
    Obama opposes reparations
    Biden privately tells lawmakers
    62%, 80%, 73%, or 71% of US Americans oppose reparations
    [...]
    It's pretty rich that Johnson downplayed the role of system[at]ic racism as he represented a state [Lousiana] that in the past spawned the U.S. Supreme Court disgrace of Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine, and is now in court disputes on [segregated] congressional districts that give African American voters a fair chance.
    a state [Maryland] that in the past spawned the U.S. Supreme Court disgrace of Dredd Scott v. Sanford
    [...]
    MEANWHILE... FY 2024 cost of borrowing piles up
    rollcall | Senate passes three fiscal 2024 spending bills in 'minibus', amending House sausages
    Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York praised the Senate's bipartisan appropriations work Wednesday morning ahead of the chamber's passage of the package combining the fiscal 2024 Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills.
    [...]
    In all, the Senate adopted 31 amendments to the package, including a handful of Republican-offered provisions supported by Democrats and independents, many of them up for reelection next year, despite opposition from Democratic leadership.
    [...]
    by Cat on Thu Nov 2nd, 2023 at 03:24:36 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    archive China is hurting our kids with TikTok
    by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 07:55:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    The end of 529 Tax-deferred Savings Accounts in the USA, 24 Oct tort opportunity
    ...The AGs argue that Meta's four-part scheme:
    • Have a business model that focused on maximizing user attention,
    • Deployed harmful and psychologically manipulative product features" to make said model profitable while lying about its safety for young users,
    • Partially redacted but includes "while routinely publishing misleading reports boasting a deceptively low incidence of user harms,"
    • Refused to abandon its use of "known harmful features," instead doubling down on efforts to conceal their harm....
    STATE OF ARIZONA et al. v META PLATFORMS, INC., INSTAGRAM, LLC, META PAYMENTS, INC., META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, 233 pp
    by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 08:15:09 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    msn | Biden Taps Emergency Powers to Assert Oversight of AI Computer Programming  Systems, 30 Oct
    President Biden signed Monday an [executive?] order invoking the Korean War-era Defense Production Act [DPA] to compel major AI computer programming  companies to notify the government when developing any system that poses a "serious risk to national security, national economic security or national public health and safety," according to a White House fact sheet.
    No new EO filed since 29 Sep.
    "AI computer programming is all around us. Most of it is making our lives better," Biden said Monday at a reception held in the White House East Room and attended by cabinet officials, lawmakers, tech leaders and advocates. "One thing is clear: To realize the promise of AI computer programing and avoid the risks, we need to govern this technology...There's no way around it. It must be governed."
    [...]
    Congress has gradually expanded the Defense Production Act to apply to preparedness for non-military emergencies, according to congressional researchers. Biden, meanwhile, has invoked the law relatively frequently, according to some critics, using it to accelerate COVID-19 response, electric-car battery production, baby-formula supplies, and climate-change technology.
    [...]
    A central pillar of the order will be an effort to manage such national security risks as cybersecurity threats. It addresses fears that AI computer programming might fuel a global arms race of more powerful cyber weapons and unleash an avalanche of online disinformation, such as deep-fake images or videos that might be nearly impossible to distinguish from authentic content, officials said.
    [...]
    But while there is consensus around high-level ideas, such as establishing independent assessments of AI computer programming  systems and exposing tech companies to more legal liability, there has yet to be a legislative proposal that has picked up enough bipartisan steam to pass a divided Congress.

    Meanwhile, European officials are moving toward their own AI computer programming regulations, and in some instances have proposed banning certain uses of AI computer programming. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is hosting an AI computer programming safety summit this week in London, at which Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak.

    whitehouse.gov | Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris on the Administration's Commitment to Advancing the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence Computer Programming, 30 Oct
    [...]
    AI computer programming is helping millions of commuters find the shortest route home as well. (Laughter.) But, you know, in some cases, AI computer programming is making life wor- -- worse. For example, using teenagers' personal data to figure out what will keep them glued to their device, AI computer programming makes social media more addictive. It's causing what our Surgeon General calls a "profound risk of harm" to their mental health and well-being.... I'm about to sign an executive order. An executive order that is the most significant action any government anywhere in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust. ...First, the executive order is about AI computer programming  safety and security. Today, I am invoking what's called the Defense Production Act that federal government uses in the most urgent of moments, like mobilizing the nation during—a nation in time of war or developing COVID vaccines during the pandemic.
    [...]
    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 12:21:41 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 12:56:37 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Quite interesting patterns ... forever Red ... troubling developments for Democrats  ... gap between DNC leadership and Blue electorate ... negative trend from moment Joe was elected ... Joe blamed the media 😂

    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 06:03:43 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 12:23:20 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    • The Don Cheeto (R)
    • Nikki Two-Tones (R)
    • Perry WUT? (R)
    • not that Scott, the other one (R)
    • Asa (R)
    • dont-say-de-Santis (R)
    • Dakato Doug Tech (R)
    • Texass Hurd (R)
    • Vivek WHO? (R)
    • Christie Kreme Do'nuts (R)
    • Marianne (D)
    RFK, Jr (D)
    likely party switch from Democrat to independent would be a major wild card with the power to reshape the 2024 presidential election—it's just unclear for which side.
    • Rt Rev Dr Cornel West (I)
    pilgrim Pence (J)*
    added the Reaganesque line that "it's time to get back to peace through strength," the candidate polling in single digits nationally received an uncharacteristically sustained round of applause.
    *jesus

    Ill-conceived headline w/e 14 Oct

    archive September ELECTION 2024 ring toss

    by Cat on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    • Texass Hurd (R)
    announced Monday that he was dropping out of the 2024 GOP primary and endorsing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley instead.
    • RFK, Jr (I)
    announced on Monday his independent candidacy for president, officially ending his effort to defeat President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary in favor of a long-shot general election bid.
    by Cat on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 at 12:13:48 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Asa (R)
    proposed a plan that President Ronald Reagan used in the early 1980s: A bipartisan commission that can make hard choices about financing Social Security and Medicare in a less political atmosphere.
    by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 03:27:41 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Nikki Two-Tones (2017)
    said the United Nations had long been a hostile place for Israel, which undermined the Organization's credibility and was harmful for the entire world. Israel must not only stand up for its own survival, but also for the ideals of freedom and human dignity, which was what the United Nations was supposed to be about, she said, adding that being forced to defend her country's sovereignty had brought many of the same thoughts to her mind. Pointing out that the United States was by far the single largest contributor to the United Nations, which it did in order to advance its values and interests, she said that together they had made tremendous advances in a wide range of areas. The United States was demonstrating "the American way" when it provided generous contributions to the United Nations, yet it also had the legitimate expectation that its efforts would garner the world's goodwill and respect, she said, adding that it was being asked to pay for the dubious privilege of being disrespected.
    • dont-say-de-Santis (R)
    • Christie Kreme Do'nuts (R)
    Nikki Two-Tones (R)
    told the crowd, "And what did the Biden administration do? He loosened all the sanctions that gave billions of dollars to Iran. Interestingly enough, China, the number one importer of oil in Iran. Russia, getting their drones from Iran. Look at the triangle, because the triangle is real."
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 01:05:16 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    archive New Hampshire primary fight
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 03:15:57 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Biden write-in campaign launched in New Hampshire, 30 Oct
    President Biden supporters in New Hampshire have launched a write-in campaign after he declined to file to put his name on the Granite State's Democratic presidential primary ballot.

    "On the night of the New Hampshire primary, the EYES OF THE WORLD will turn to the very first votes cast of the 2024 election—and it's important to SHOW THE WORLD that thousands of New Hampshire voters are supporting President Joe Biden," according to the "Write-In Joe Biden" campaign website.

    "The fate of our democracy itself hangs in the balance in the 2024 election."
    It comes after Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN.) jumped into the Democratic primary to challenge Biden and filed in New Hampshire last week.
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 06:27:04 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Phil The Builder (D)
    said, "I will not sit still and not be quiet in the face of numbers that are so clearly saying that we're going to be facing an emergency next November. It's time to put our country back together again."
    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 02:36:18 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Saudi Arabia and Israel. Israel and Ukraine. Israel and Jordan. UPDATE!
    tabloid USAToday | 2,000 US troops told to prepare to deploy in response to Israel-Hamas war, 16 Oct
    President Joe Biden will travel to Israel and Jordan this week in a show of solidarity, and to meet with both Israeli and Arab leadership [H.R.H Abdullah, Pres. el Sisi, and Pres. Abbas] amid growing concerns over the escalating violence in the Middle East.
    President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday amid war in the Middle East (16.10.23)
    Biden will travel to Tel Aviv, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Netanyahu and meet with other Israeli officials. Blinken said Biden will hear from Israeli leaders about what it needs from the U.S. to defend itself. The White House is seeking approval from Congress to provide military aid to Israel.
    [...]
    John Kirby, a White House spokesman for national security issues, said Biden will "affirm our solidarity with Israel, and he will look forward to getting an update from Israeli officials about their strategy and the pace of their military operations."

    Biden will also talk to Israel about the hostages who are being held by Hamas and will discuss coordinating efforts to get Americans back home, Kirby said. Asked whether it's safe for Biden to travel to the region, Kirby said, "We wouldn't make a trip, obviously, if we did not believe that proper security measures would be in place."

    Secretary of Stalking Antony Blinken announced Biden's visit ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion of Gaza aimed at crushing the Hamas militant group. The trip comes a week and half after Hamas' incursion on Israel that has killed over 4,000 on both sides [sic] and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians....
    ibid Abraham Accords mega-deal
    news.un | Security Council rejects Russian resolution on Gaza, 16 Oct
    The Russian-led draft resolution [SC/15445] received five votes in favour (China, Gabon, Mozambique, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates) and four against (France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States), with six abstentions (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta, and Switzerland).
    THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION
    Statements before Voting
    Members were divided over the lack of specific condemnation of extremist group Hamas, which began the current escalation of violence, sending hundreds of fighters to carry out massacres in settlements near to the Gaza Strip on 7 October.

    For the Council to adopt a resolution, the proposal must receive at least nine votes in favour, with none of its five permanent members opposing or casting a veto. The draft text had called for a humanitarian ceasefire, release of all hostages, aid access, and safe evacuation of civilians.
    [...]

    ohchr | Commission of Inquiry collecting evidence of war crimes committed by all sides in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023 (10.10.23)

    Senior UNRWA official calls for 'immediate unconditional' access for life-saving aid in Gaza (15.10.23)

    "Tombs of Rubble"

    ohchr.org | UN expert urges immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access as Gaza health sector reaches "breaking point" (17.10.23)

    Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (17.10.23)
    "Appalling reports that civilians attempting to relocate to southern Gaza were struck and killed by an explosive weapon must be independently and thoroughly investigated, as must all allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law."

    by Cat on Tue Oct 17th, 2023 at 05:25:07 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    1. Prime-time address to nation 8 PM, Thursday
    ...to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine.

    The timing of the speech underscores the consequential nature of both conflicts to U.S. interests, and it comes on the heels of Biden's trip to Israel to show support for the Jewish state and broker a deal to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

    It also comes as the White House prepares to send a supplemental funding request to Congress seeking aid for both Israel and Ukraine. The total ask could reportedly amount to roughly $100 billion, also including funding for Taiwan and U.S. border security.

    2. $100M aid deal for Gaza
    ..."The bottom line is Al Sisi deserves some real credit," Biden told reporters aboard Air Force One. Biden said the $100 million in U.S. funding would support more than 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians, including by filling emergency needs in Gaza....
    by Cat on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 at 10:56:42 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Remarks by President Biden on the Unites States' Response to Hamas's Terrorist Attacks Against Israel and Russia's Ongoing Brutal War Against Ukraine (19.10.23)
    ...I met with the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet.  And most movingly, I met with Israelis who had personally lived through horrific horror of the attack by Hamas on the 7th of October. More than 1,300 people slaughtered in Israel, including at least 32 American citizens. Scores of innocents—from infants to elderly grandparents, Israelis, Americans—taken hostage.  

    As I told the families of Americans being held captive by Hamas, we're pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home. As President, there is no higher priority for me than the safety of Americans held hostage.

    The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure, unadulterated evil in the world. But sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others.
    [...]
    I also spoke with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and reiterated that the United States remains committed to the Palestinian people's right to dignity and to self-determination. The actions of Hamas terrorists don't take that right away. Like so many other[s], I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life, including the explosion at a hospital in Gaza—which was not done by the Israelis.

    We mourn every innocent life lost. We can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace and have an opportunity.You know, the assault on Israel echoes nearly 20 months of war, tragedy, and brutality inflicted on the people of Ukraine—people that were very badly hurt since Putin launched his all-out invasion.  

    We've have not forgotten the mass graves, the bodies found bearing signs of torture, rape used as a weapon by the Russians, and thousands and thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly taken into Russia, stolen from their parents.  It's sick....

    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 01:12:24 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    ... The United States and our partners across the region are working to build a better future for the Middle East, one where the Middle East is more stable, better connected to its neighbors, and—through innovative projects like the India-Middle East-Europe rail corridor that I announced this year at the summit of the world's biggest economies. More predictable markets, more employment, less rage, less grievances, less war when connected. It benefits the people—it would benefit the people of the Middle East, and it would benefit us.

    American leadership is what holds the world together.  American alliances are what keep us, America, safe.  American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it's just not worth it.
    [...]
    We're going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel. We're going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading.

    Look, at the same time, President Prime Minister Netanyahu and I discussed again yesterday the critical need for Israel to operate by the laws of war. That means protecting civilians in combat as best as they can. The people of Gaza urgently need food, water, and medicine.

    Yesterday, in discussions with the leaders of Israel and Egypt, I secured an agreement for the first shipment of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
    [...]
    You know, and here at home, we have to be honest with ourselves.  In recent years, too much hate has been given too much oxygen, fueling racism, a rise in antisemitism and Islamicphobia Islamophobia right here in America.
    [...]
    What would happen if we walked away? We are the essential nation.
    [...]
    We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win. I refuse to let that happen.

    In moments like these, we have to remind—we have to remember who we are.  We are the United States of America—the United States of America.  And there is nothing—nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

    My fellow Americans, thank you for your time.

    May God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

    [proof reader's marks in original]
    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 01:25:04 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Department Press Briefing - October 19, 2023
    [...]
    QUESTION: Can I follow up on that, Matt? Why is it only 20 trucks at this point? Do you have any firm agreement from the Egyptians to allow American citizens to leave via the Rafah crossing? Do you have an estimate on how many are trying to get out in that route?
    MILLER: So I will say just with respect to trucks, I don't want to speak to the - what the exact agreement will look like, because that is a matter that continues to be negotiated, that Ambassador Satterfield is on the ground negotiating. The Israelis, as they have said publicly and as Secretary Blinken said after we met with them for seven and a half hours to secure this initial agreement on Monday, the Israelis have very serious concerns about the diversion of humanitarian assistance. They're worried that assistance that goes in will be diverted to Hamas. We are working out an agreement to ensure that that - that any deliveries can be handled appropriately. So we'll continue to work on that. But what we have said publicly and what we have said to the Israeli Government is quite clear: We expect humanitarian assistance to be able to get in. We think it's important that the innocent civilians in Gaza who did not start this conflict have access to food and water and medicine. That's the commitment from the President on down. It's what Ambassador Satterfield is working out the details of even as we speak
    QUESTION: And what is being offered to the Egyptians to try to grease the wheels on this?
    MILLER: We're not offering them anything. We are telling them that we have an interest in getting American citizens out, and it is our interest, it is their interest, it is the interest of every government in the region that humanitarian assistance be provided to the innocent civilians in Gaza who are not a party to this conflict.
    [...]
    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 02:55:56 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 01:42:27 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Beautiful ... happy times ... humanity 🙏🏽

    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Oct 22nd, 2023 at 10:40:24 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    thehill | White House asks Congress for $100B to support Israel, Ukraine, ["allies in the Indo-Pacific,"] border efforts, 20 Oct
    [...]
    Israel $14.3 billion
    National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the increased funds will "invest in Israel's defense against terrorists, including by strengthening its air and missile defense systems." ...

    Ukraine request is $61.4 billion
    The $61.4 billion request for Ukraine includes $30 billion in equipment for Ukraine from Department of Defense stocks and to backfill those stocks....

    Border security
    The administration is asking Congress for $13.6 billion to be used to bolster border security....

    Indo-Pacific
    The administration is asking for roughly $7.4 billion to strengthen allies in the Indo-Pacific and push back on China's efforts to exert influence in the region.
    [...]

    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 04:07:27 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    strana | Strike on US bases in Syria. Biden interrupted his speech and left the stage. Video, 23 Oct
    In the evening of October 23, the Al-Omar oil field in Syria, where US troops are stationed, was hit.
    thecradle | Iraqi resistance targets multiple US bases in Syria
    The Islamic Resistance stated that offensives were carried out with drones that caused severe damage after they directly hit their targets at bases in Al-Tanf and Al-Rukban near the Syria-Iraq-Jordan border.

    antiwar | Pentagon Expects 'Significant Escalation' of Attacks on US Troops Over Gaza War
    The comments came the same day US Central Command said its forces downed two drones that were fired at a base in Syria.

    After the news of the strike on American bases in Syria, US President Joe Biden interrupted his speech at the Bidenomics event and went to the White House situation center, as, according to him, "there is a problem that needs to be sorted out." There, the US president will meet with the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Adviser.

    Remarks by President Biden on How Bidenomics and the Investing in America Agenda are Growing the Economy in Every Region of the Country
    I'm going to leave you now with Secretary Gina Raimondo, who has been the engine behind this effort. She's going to lead the discussion with representatives from these tech hubs on the screen behind me for all of you to see.

    I apologize.  I have to go to the Situation Room.  We have another issue that I have to deal with.

    OMB $106B supplemental budget request items, "to remain available until September 30, 2024"
    by Cat on Tue Oct 24th, 2023 at 01:01:59 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Authorization for Use of Military Force, 18 Sep 2001
    [...]
    (a) In General.--That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
    (b) War Powers Resolution Requirements.--
       (1) Specific statutory authorization.--Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.
    [...]
    Letters to the Speaker pro tempore of the House and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Syria, 12 Oct
    [...]
    I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 [2019] with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.
    Letter to the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), 27 Oct
    [...]
    As I have reported previously, militia groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have perpetrated a series of attacks against United States personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria. [...] I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and to conduct United States foreign relations. The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and in the exercise of the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.  The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks.

    I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148).  I appreciate the support of the Congress in this action.

    southfront | Rockets, drones hit US bases in Syria, 29 Oct

    Late on October 28, a series of explosions rocked the "Green Village" base within al-Omar oil fields in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Syrian media reports said that a salvo of rockets hit the base causing fires. More explosions were reported at a base located near the town of al-Shaddadi in the southern al-Hasakah countryside early on October 29. Smoke was seen rising from the base after the attack. Later, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed armed factions, said that it had targeted the base with two suicide drones.

    Around 20 attacks targeted U.S. bases in Syria and neighboring Iraq in the last two weeks, with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claiming responsibility for most of the attacks. Some 21 American troops were wounded in the attacks. Material losses were also reported.
    [...]
    In response to the first wave of attacks, the Pentagon announced strikes on two facilities linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps near the town of al-Bukamal in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor on October 26. The strikes, which were ordered by President Joe Biden, were carried to deter Iranian-backed forces. This attempt has clearly failed.

    The U.S. is currently preparing for more escalation in the Middle East. Some 900 troops and a dozen air defense systems were recently deployed in the region.

    US Military Bases in Iraq
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 08:12:55 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    The Odious unexpectedly elected a speaker for the R's Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, just in case folks at home expect both chambers to pass a budget before 30 Dec 2023.

    Where NEW! House Speaker Mike Johnson stands on Ukraine, Israel, 25 Oct
    ("Johnson has shown some resistance to more funding for Ukraine in the past, but seems to wholeheartedly support Israel.")

    by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 07:37:09 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Biden, Pope Francis discuss Israel, Gaza in rare call, 22 Oct
    Condemning the attacks by Hamas, which is recognized by the U.S. and several other countries as a terrorist organization, Biden spoke with the pontiff about his trip to Israel and efforts to guarantee the delivery of food, medicine and humanitarian aid to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to a readout from the White House.
    JOE: Holy Father, please pass a good word for me from you to Peter.
    Citing the Holy See Press Office, Vatican News reported the conversation lasted around 20 minutes and highlighted the "need to identify paths of peace."
    "I am very concerned, grieved," he said at the Angelus prayer. "I pray and I am close to all those who are suffering, the hostages, the wounded, the victims and their families.... "War, any war that there is in the world - I also think of martyred Ukraine ," the Pope continued, "is a defeat. War always is a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!"
    Biden is only the second Catholic U.S. president and had a private audience with Francis at the Vatican in 2021....
    FRANK: If you have to ask ...
    by Cat on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 at 04:17:55 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    whitehouse | Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia in Joint Press Conference, 25 Oct MISS
    [...]
    Q And if I may, very quickly—in the 18 days since Hama—Hamas killed 1,400 Israelis, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed over 6,000 Palestinians, including 2,700 chil—children. You've previously asked Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties. Do these numbers say to you that he is ignoring that message?

    BIDEN: What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it's the price of waging a war. I think we should be incredibly careful. I think—well, not "we"—the Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they're focusing on going after the folks that are the pr—propagating this war against Israel. And it's against their interest when that doesn't happen. But I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.
    [...]

    Israel Amb. Tzipi Hotovely Invokes US, UK Dresden Bombings to Defend Israeli Assault On Gaza, 16 Oct A/V (EN) 00:01:05 MISS
    "Dresden was a symbol of that because you knew that this is the only way to beat the Nazis and make them surrender. This is the reality that Israel is facing a cruel, cruel, barbaric terror organisation."
    by Cat on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 at 11:45:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    pilgrim Pence (J)
    announced Saturday he is suspending his 2024 presidential campaign. He  made the announcement while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition's leadership conference.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 07:43:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:42:30 PM EST
    by Cat on Thu Oct 26th, 2023 at 06:01:50 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:42:52 PM EST
    hatredism has entered the room.
    by Cat on Wed Oct 11th, 2023 at 11:44:37 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Dispensationalism has entered the room.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 14th, 2023 at 10:30:56 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    'consensual doxxing has entered the room.
    by Cat on Fri Oct 20th, 2023 at 03:36:34 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    small business lawyer has entered the room.
    by Cat on Sun Oct 22nd, 2023 at 10:10:53 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    face equality has entered the room.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 28th, 2023 at 11:00:33 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Palestinian Authority+ has entered the room.
    by Cat on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 at 09:53:35 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Going Underground: Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Israeli minister of foreign affairs & public security, 29 Oct trial balloon
    bloomberg | US and Israel Weigh Peacekeepers for the Gaza Strip After Hamas
    [...]
    According to the people familiar with the matter, one option would grant temporary oversight to Gaza to countries from the region, backed by troops from the US, UK, Germany, and France. Ideally, it would also include representation from Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, the people said.

    A second option is a peacekeeping force modeled on the Multinational Force and Observers group that operates on and around the Sinai peninsula, enforcing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Israel believes that this idea is worthy of consideration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    A third option would be temporary governance of the strip under a United Nations umbrella. This would have the advantage of the legitimacy bestowed by the UN, but Israel views it as impractical, according to a person familiar with Israel's thinking, who added that Israel believes that little good has come from the world body.
    [...]

    Axel | Egypt opens Rafah crossing for foreign nationals and injured Palestinians, 1 Nov
    A limited number of wounded Palestinian civilians have also entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing to receive medical treatment.

    The U.K's foreign office wrote on X: "We understand the crossing will be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously wounded to leave." "It is therefore likely the departure of British nationals from Gaza will take place in stages over the coming days," it added.

    A list of foreign passport holders who can leave via the crossing was agreed following a deal between Israel, Egypt, and Hamas brokered by Qatar, according to Reuters.

    It includes people from Austria, Finland, the Czech Republic, Britain, Japan, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Australia, US America,  and Jordan. Some 500 people are on the list expected to leave Wednesday, Reuters reported.




    Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
    by Cat on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 09:04:06 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    hankyoreh | In Germany, Japan is waging a war over its history with Korea
    A few years back, I received a mystifying email from five Japanese professors. It was only after the incident itself that I found out that they sent the same email not only to myself, but to many other professors in Germany. The email made the preposterous claim that Germany and Japan never committed war crimes in World War II, and that we should strive to correct fraudulent historical statements. The authors seemed to think that if they argued that Germany and Japan joined forces but were victimized when the UN stigmatized them as war criminals, it would make sense to German intellectuals.

    I was well aware of the fact that there were reactionary extremist groups in Japan who wanted to cover up the crimes against humanity committed during the Japanese colonial period and World War II, and that they also wanted to rewrite their country's history.
    However, I was gobsmacked to see the ludicrous calls to completely disregard the historical facts of the Nazis' horrors and to subscribe to their warped historical revisionism. Their message painted a pitiful portrait of the highly educated yet deluded authors.

    The real motive behind the email that those five Japanese professors sent to their German counterparts was to facilitate sympathy for the demolition of the Statue of Peace, which had been erected in Berlin at the end of September 2020.
    [...]

    by Cat on Tue Oct 31st, 2023 at 08:08:42 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    entryism has entered the room.

    Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
    by Cat on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 at 03:58:11 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:43:14 PM EST
    NY Yella Cake -100: 20% off beer democracy
    Gustav Stresemann (DVP) has put together a new coalition, composed of the same 4 parties as the last one, and a cabinet with only the finance minister changed. No one's happy about it....
    "No one" being Hugo Stinnes (DVP), Erich Ludendorff (self), and commies (disgruntled SPD)
    ...Bavarian dictator Gustav von Kahr (self) orders the price of beer reduced by 20%. He may get around to doing the same for milk, but, you know, priorities.
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 03:22:38 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    298 dead and 2,510 casualties.
    This morning, on October 7, Hamas launched rocket attacks on the territory of Israel—it was reported that 5 thousand rockets were fired. Hamas militants entered Israeli settlements, where they took hostages. The group calls its goal the creation of a Palestinian state. The actions of Hamas were supported by Iran.

    In response to the attack, Israel launched a counterterrorism operation "Iron Swords" in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The country's Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, called the situation a war and promised that Israel would win it. NATO expressed support for Israel....

    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 03:41:33 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    A long standing argument ...

    Palestinian Armed Resistance: Terror or Legitimate? | Tikun Olam - May 2023 |

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 04:53:47 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Martin Luther King Jr. awarded Nobel Peace Prize
    "I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace," said King, "at a moment when twenty-two million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award in behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice...."
    by Cat on Sun Oct 15th, 2023 at 12:32:41 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Former Premier of the CPC State Council Li Keqiang passes away

    archived 2011-2023

    by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 01:48:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Bloomberg: Just a follow up on the Li Keqiang question. The Xinhua News is very very brief. I was hoping that you could elaborate a little bit today. Maybe point us to some indications as to what might be the funeral arrangements, and whether you think any foreign representatives will be invited or coming? I'm just curious, if you could give us a little bit more?
    Mao Ning: Please refer to the obituary that is to be released. As to arrangements of foreign representatives attending mourning activities, we will release information in due course.
    by Cat on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 01:55:57 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Chinese 🇨🇳 proverbs from a collection of cookies ... 🤣

    The vicious cycle of democratic pretensions, dysfunctional politics and a divided society continued in the United States. Problems such as money politics, identity politics, social rifts, and the gulf between the rich and poor worsened.


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 27th, 2023 at 03:31:16 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 at 10:43:31 PM EST
    Olena Zelenska(ya), 23 Sep A/V, Ottawa, Canada
    by Cat on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 02:52:29 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Time to fire her ... her grimace hurts the cause ... treacherous.

    I would keep her in the millionaire's villa in Italy ...

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Oct 7th, 2023 at 03:31:08 PM EST
    [ Parent ]


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