#5
If you stop answering any 911 calls then your crime statistics appear to show improvement. If you stop arresting people then your crime statistics show improvement. But actual crime perception may not align with your ‘crime metrics’.
[Guardian] The World Central Kitchen has described the seven aid workers who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza as the "very best of humanity". Three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian were killed when their convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse on Monday.
#5
You go into a war zone, expect war zone stuff to happen. Diplomat, doctors, journalists, and cooks. No exceptions. That's why it's prefered to not be there.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/05/2024 8:50
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#6
Perhaps they missed the class on the hazards of keying a SATCOM phone in a combat zone.
#10
In all honesty how many of these aid orgs are used as spook hidey holes and for flipping countries like the United States now tell the TRUTH and be HONEST! do not hurt yourselves laughing ! I am pretty sure psychopaths and sociopaths lie a lot or all the time!
#13
Well to start with, at their age, a week ago the security detail would have been painted as Afghan baby killers who pissed on crayons.
And the Flickinger dude, I've heard that name somewhere before.
I mean, what is it they needed a face-to-face with 'someone' and didn't want to use telecommunications? Can't fault them for armored landcruisers, hell I wouldn't go to Lakeshore Drive without one, but what is this courier mission? Which went off of the approved routes.
But it was reiterated to me that IDF knows everything that happens in Gaza. And I was reading WCK entered a closed military zone where hamas was holed up and WCK had a meeting that was off-limits and not-sanctioned.
The drone unit said it saw a Hamas terrorist climb onto one of the trucks and fire in the air at what it called action point two.
Based on historical precedent, I would have bet on Hamas involvement as a matter of course.
As the events developed, the IDF tried to call the aid workers involved in the field and was unable to reach them.
Next, the IDF called the WCK headquarters. The WCK headquarters tried to call its own aid workers in the field, but they did not answer.
Makes me wonder if they had their phones off to avoid being tracked. But it could just be bad cell reception.
In the book Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad, the author describes an incident where troops have rolled into the city and are coming under accurate artillery fire. Somebody sees a guy standing on a balcony of the Palestine Hotel looking into a boxy device mounted on a tripod. Innocent newsie videoing the action, or a hostile spotting for the artillery? US forces go to great lengths to identify the guy, calling the hotel and various local news agencies, even calling back to the States to try to get a handle on the situation.
Unable to get confirmed ID, they eventually smoke the guy with a tank round. Turns out he was a reporter for one of the news agencies. Oopsie! Media shitstorm ensues. (note that working for Rooters or whoever does not mean he was an innocent bystander)
tl;dr: It's war, Jake. Shit happens despite our best plans and procedures.
[Paradigms and Demographics] I've spent the bulk of my adult life in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and I love it here and I've loved Cleveland with all its ups and downs, but things have changed dramatically since 1965 when the population in Cleveland was 1,875,000. As of July of 2022 it was 361,607. Whites make up only 38% of the population, blacks 47% and are still granted minority status, and has the power in Cleveland’s administration.
Violent crime in Cleveland is 17.4 per 1000. In all of Ohio it's only 3.76 and nationwide it's 4. And let’s face it, crime statistics clearly show those crimes are mostly being committed by blacks, most of them the product of illegitimacy. In America's major cities, this is the pattern throughout America.
Democrats are in charge in Cleveland, and in any city in which they're in charge they're driving these cities in a massively destructive direction. Improved race relations are in the dumpster, and rampant anti-white racism is rampant, for which Barack Obama and the Democrat party are directly responsible.
In 1965 illegitimacy in black America was 24% and 3% in white America. In 1990 it was 64 percent for blacks and 18 percent for whites. In black America it’s now around 70%, and around 30% for white America. That's an obscene voluntary abandonment of men to their responsibilities, and a unbelievable and active acceptance by the women. That’s massively destructive, and that destructiveness is spreading. That’s an abandonment of all the foundational values that create stable societies.
While there’s been efforts to restore Cleveland's neighborhoods, that required tearing down entire sections of the city to put up new buildings. As of right now, entire sections of Cleveland are either vacant lots with everything torn down, or have blocks of empty buildings, businesses and homes, that are rat infested holes surrounded by slums. And surrounding suburbs are equally impacted by all this, such as East Cleveland, which is a disaster.
Driving down Euclid Avenue, Cleveland's main street, once known as "Millionaires' Row", is deceptive. Go a few blocks to the left or right, and reality sets in.
How can you revive any major city if the inhabitants live in a culture that’s undisciplined, irresponsible, refuse to be educated, and violent? One in which a huge percentage of the inhabitants of the city think that’s just fine and dandy.
I don't think that's possible because they've abandoned all the Judaic/Christian values that make a society stable. If there is no stable moral foundation for a society, there is no stability, and then society becomes a mob.
The worst mayors in the nation? In 2021 Daniel Greenfield listed 14 of them, and they were all black, and/or far left lunatics, but they were all Democrats, and each and everyone of them were race baiting hustlers shouting America is institutionally racist, among other things, but clearly they all hate America and are destroying the cities they lead, or led.
#1
Given all the racial politics, their voter plantation complexes aka Ghettos, easy to get Gov. $$$$$ for illegitimate births, SNAP benefits, Welfare, the get of Jail Free card for certain racial and pervert groups and etc...
In 56 years, the Liberal, Socialists and Democrats (LSD's) have done a job, STALIN would be proud of.
By appearing to fight while actually promoting:
crime, murder, placing fundamentally opposed groups next to each other, promoting Racial pride over a the US Melt-Pot process. Then using Gun Control as the solution place them ONLY in charge of your safety which usually 15 to 90 mins away.
#3
Cities have got to have a purpose. That's how they were founded. The lands west of the Mississippi are littered with ghost towns. Grafting is not known as a viable basis for sustainment. Eventually the host dies.
Commerce was the purpose. Culture was the dividend. The savvy businessmen have move their pursuits to more amenable locations. The culture dividend stopped when the businesses left.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/05/2024 7:40
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#7
and Cher is nominated for the Rock and Roll HOF. Cher.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2024 11:44
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#8
Not sure how a 2021 worst mayor list missed DiBlassio.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/05/2024 11:44
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#9
...but things have changed dramatically since 1965...
That's when Lyndon Johnson was president. Some might question if old LBJ had anything to do with the way "things have changed dramatically".
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2024 12:06
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#10
...it was called the Great Society. Drive off decades of black fathers and solid family units circa 1960. Grow generation of voters for free stuff. All around the 'immortal' city. Power by any means necessary.
That was their mistake thinking that the city drove everything. Soon the highways and suburbs started to bleed the economic attraction of those cities. Manufacturing was driven out or left. The reason to exist diminished. There's an old story from the West. Boomtowns that grew along the cattle trails north. Soon the 'best folk' got tired of the antics and behavior of the cowpokes and regulated them out. The trails shifted elsewhere or the rail lines took the freight. Those towns died. You are seeing that played out in slow motion now.
If you rely upon moving paper for a business, you can do that anywhere. If that goes digital you don't need a 'where'.
#11
Yes, the Great Society: HUD, AFDC, Headstart, Affirmative Action, Vietnam and all of that. Dunno if it's true but I read somewhere about LBJ boasting how he'd have black people voting Democrat for the next 200 years. I believe it because that's the kind of guy he was...immoral to the core. Only one thing was important to that man and that was power. This country went off the rails in 1963. We had a brief respite in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan was president but today the decline continues. A lot of people running around in DC are every bit as unscrupulous as LBJ. It seems to me the decline has been accelerated by our dependence on China.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2024 12:43
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#12
1965. The great project to "modernize" the roads by gutting the functioning middle class sections of the Big Cities and replacing neighborhoods with overhead roads. The central multiethnic neighborhoods were replaced by slums and bare lots.
#13
Not at all impossible. But the doing will be ugly until the usual suspects come to terms with the new rules. New York City did under Mayor Giuliano, after all.
[Paradigms and Demographics] The most important spy of the 20th century. Who helped Reagan bring the Soviet Union down. Plus: How Reagan ended the Soviet Union.
Michael Flores Apr 4, 2024
In his young years, Vladimir Vetrov was a model Soviet citizen — an ardent Communist and good patriot. He belonged to that "sons of the people" generation which the USSR dutifully promoted. The new officer is lucky enough to be sent to Paris, beyond the iron curtain. There, he discovers the affluence and freedom of the West, which comes as a genuine shock. He works as an accomplished spy, but his attraction to luxury and the high life turns his head and gets him into trouble. He is called back to Moscow. Returning to the routine life of a KGB employee in the gloomy Moscow of the Brezhnev years is all the more unbearable to Vladimir Vetrov that he is not granted the promotion that the quality of his service in Paris should have brought him. His disgust leads him to revenge - by means of treason...............
And he was no ordinary spy. Think Aldrich Ames, to the power of ten. Vladimir Vetrov oversaw the entire KGB directorate charged with a critical program: Line X, which surveilled western R&D and passed its fruits back to Mother Russia. In the 1960s and 1970s, Line X stole jaw-dropping volumes of military, computer, and industrial advances........... "The Soviet military and civil sectors were in large measure running their research on that of the West, particularly the United States," ......... "Our science was supporting their national defense."..........The Farewell dossier exposed the entirety of the Soviet technology-stealing infrastructure, with a couple of enormous consequences. ...........
By feeding Soviet agents promising but subtly flawed technology, the Americans infiltrated sabotage points into the USSR — a Trojan Horse for the information age. In 1982, software running the Soviet Trans-Siberian Pipeline allegedly escalated gas pressure fatally on the Urengoy-Surgut-Chelyabinsk pipeline, triggering an explosion so large (three kilotons) that some foreign monitoring stations initially suspected a nuclear detonation............"Pseudo-software disrupted factory output. Flawed but convincing ideas on stealth, attack aircraft and space defense made their way into Soviet ministries." Suddenly, the Russians couldn’t know which Line X acquisitions were dependable and which were time bombs. ................
In January 1982, President Ronald Reagan approved a CIA plan to sabotage the economy of the Soviet Union through covert transfers of technology that contained hidden malfunctions, including software that later triggered a huge explosion in a Siberian natural gas pipeline, according to a new memoir by a Reagan White House official...............To Read More....
#1
Chinese embeds in our current industrial/academic/governmental research base are so extensive, so widespread it would be impossible to create such a program today. I suspect even suggesting such an idea these days would doom an agency employee to a DEI career "murder board" or stationing gulag in the sub-saharan interior .
BLUF:
[Federalist] The people are friendly, like those of any midwestern small town. They are quick to share their ambivalence about the village’s future. While strongly committed to their hometown and its people and institutions, many feel like they have received the short end of the stick. No, it certainly didn't start with Biden, but that's where it's headed.
This is understandable because that’s what has happened time and time again.
In addition to the community being ground zero for an entirely avoidable chemical catastrophe that has imperiled the health of many and will likely continue to do so for generations, East Palestine — and countless other places like it — has been strip-mined by the prevailing ethos of the American ruling class. Prioritizing financialization over domestic manufacturing, the industrial engine of small-town America was shipped abroad piece by piece until virtually nothing was left.
Whatever feelings one might have about free trade, NAFTA, et al., the objective reality is that it left the heartland without a vital resource upon which millions of people and thousands of communities depended. Chinese batteries, charging stations, and automobiles anyone ?
#2
Union leadership does not represent its members. It represents the Party. You think union membership gets to really vote for who their leadership is any more legit than the general citizenship population for our 'leadership'.
#3
And when the leadership got them higher pay, the membership rejected it "it'll cause the compony to offshore." Sorry P2K, but much as I hate MBAs - I had to teach them math for a living - the labor is just as guilty.
#4
It's about power hierarchy. Yeah, the membership gets screwed (just like the rest of us), but the hierarchy remains in place. The 'leadership' gets to move to another another entity to leach off of for the 'union'. Administrators whether in the union or company are more inclined to mobility than the work force.
#6
That's point of the article. Ruling class made it easy to 'move overseas'. That's why there really is no 'free trade', someone pays in the end. The Ruling Class doesn't calculate that the displaced workers and facilities paid taxes to feed their system. From assets to liabilities as welfare rolls expand in their model. Unfortunately, the tremors from that unsustainable model is now here. That's the big trade off, pay more for goods and service and keep people employed or pay less and fund welfare for people who would otherwise be kept busy.
#8
I believe the coming troubles overseas particularly in China will bring manufacturing back home at least in part. I think it will return to red states in rural areas with decent logistic access. I am an optimist.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/05/2024 11:49
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[PJ] Abortion pills not only kill unborn babies, but they also injure women. A group of nurses is citing first-hand experience to call on the FDA to restrict abortion pills.
"Nurses are front-line witnesses to the devastating impact of chemical abortion drugs," Dorothy Kane, president of the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses, told CatholicVote, according to LifeNews. "We see the women arriving in emergency rooms, hemorrhaging and suffering from life-threatening infections." She and her group want the FDA to implement safeguards. Once again, Democrats’ touted "healthcare" just means more dead babies and injured mothers.
The National Association of Pro-life Nurses recently joined the plaintiffs in the critical Supreme Court case challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s removal of safeguards for the chemical abortion pill mifepristone. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the case, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, on March 26 ... She noted the immediate risks posed by mifepristone and that the drug has "documented risks of complications."
Abortion pills essentially starve unborn babies to death. There is also extensive evidence that abortion adds to the trauma of rape victims, triggers grave psychological and emotional damage, and is never necessary to save a mother’s life.
If Americans knew the truth about these pills, they would probably join the pro-life nurses in supporting FDA action. As of Jan. 2023, over two-thirds of Americans — 69% — and nearly half of Democrats support banning abortion no later than the first trimester. Even 75% of young US voters (aged 18 to 42) support abortion restrictions at or before viability as of early 2024, a 10% increase over 2023 data. If American voters were empowered with the truth, particularly about the damages to women, they would probably want more restrictions on abortion pills too.
Pfizer, Inc.: Pfizer, based in New York, United States, is a global pharmaceutical company that manufactures a variety of hormonal contraceptives, including oral pills, contraceptive patches, and injections. Their products provide effective contraception and menstrual regulation.
[Paradigms and Demographics] Ever since Barack Obama's 2008 election, the United States has become two distinct nations trying to survive under one flag. But is it even the same flag? One says don't tread on me and the other says welcome illegal invaders. We also now have two national anthems.
With such division the time seems ripe for an advice column just for liberals who need safe spaces to deal with life's overwhelming challenges, such as a fast-food restaurant running out of ketchup. So, I started an advice column called:
[Washington Examiner] A legal group headed by ex-Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller accused the Defense Department on Thursday of failing to answer a request for an Obama-era memo that may reveal pertinent information surrounding the 45th president’s classified documents indictment.
America First Legal in January filed a Freedom of Information Act request to compel the DOD to submit information pertaining to a "secretive" technology committee created in 2014 under then-President Barack Obama in response to foreign cyberattack threats. Miller’s group argues that the Presidential Information Technology Committee "creates a presumption that the President controls all information he receives" and says that it could have sweeping implications for Trump’s 40-count indictment of allegedly mishandling classified records.
[Breitbart] Russia needs a stronger deterrence to stop its aggressive moves on mainland Europe and a UK reintroduction of conscription would go some way to foiling Moscow’s predatory ambitions, Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Thursday.
Kallas made her call during an interview with the BBC in her prime ministerial office in Tallinn.
Estonia’s leader since 2021 sees conscription as another integral part of both providing a deterrence to Russia but also stronger defence if it does attack.
#1
I'd call it a "Chutzpah", but - since Estonians used WWII to kill of their Jews (some before the Germans arrived, and some after Russians returned) - I doubt Kaja will understand.
#5
With dropping birthrates, more kids out of shape from sitting around playing games and eating junk and a general sense of being introverted from the newest generations... I can see all western nations bringing back a limited conscription to keep their military numbers up.
#6
I can't think of a more certain way for politicians to lose an election than to reintroduce the draft, especially for purposes of waging wars of aggression in parts of the world where we do not belong.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2024 13:43
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#7
Just ask Lyndon Johnson.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2024 13:43
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#8
It will be difficult to legalize drugs and still call draft dodging a crime.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/05/2024 13:45
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#9
Calling for another country to institute conscription in order to be ready to fight for you.
I'm thinking you might be planning to bomb the wrong targets.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/05/2024 13:58
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#10
I can see all western nations bringing back a limited conscription to keep their military numbers up.
I see the demand for 'social justice' and make up for hundreds of years of institutional sexism, draft women!
[ZERO] A federal judge has blocked the ATF from enforcing its pistol brace rule for millions of members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the appeals process plays out.
It came after the NRA filed a lawsuit against the ATF, or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arguing that the agency’s rule to reclassify the brace-equipped pistols as short-barreled rifles is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay sided with the gun rights group, arguing that the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already concluded that the ATF pistol-brace rule "fails the logical outgrowth test and violates" the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and is "unlawful" under the act.
"The court, therefore, sees no reason why it should not consider this argument and APA claim in ruling on Plaintiff’s Motion," the judge added. "To not do so would be exalt form over substance, particularly since the Fifth Circuit has already determined that this claim has a substantial likelihood of succeeding on the merits."
The judge agreed with the NRA’s arguments that its members would be substantially harmed by the ATF rule, which was finalized in January 2023.
#3
Have you seen a Luger or Mauser with a carbine stock attachment? They had a surge of popularity after WW1 and IIRC drew the ire of the gun control legislation. A Pistol Brace kinda sorta makes a pistol a carbine and hence it is a "short barreled rifle" which are yesteryear's evil thing...
#5
Yes. The left believes the 2nd Amendment applies only to muskets, while the NFA and the 1968 Firearms Act can be re-interpreted on the fly and expanded infinitely.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/05/2024 19:39
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[Washington Examiner] HOOVERSVILLE, Pennsylvania — If you are a longtime resident of Pennsylvania, it still is a bit of a jolt to the senses to drive through what was once coal country and see an oversized, cheery, red billboard sitting along U.S. 30 reading "VOTE REPUBLICAN."
However, it is a reminder of how much the people who live in these old industrial and coal-rich counties have shed the local Democratic politics of their upbringing. Voter registration numbers, as we shall see, show as much.
Important to note: These voters have not changed personally, but their parties have done so. Democrats have abandoned their working-class voters for college-educated elites who rarely call the middle of somewhere home.
Officials in both parties in Washington — whether they are lawmakers on Capitol Hill or strategists working for one of the alphabet soup campaign arms of the House, Senate, or state legislatures, or a staffer for any of them — often struggle with how to appeal to these citizens.
Democrats did appeal to them well for so long ... until they didn’t. It was an erosion that wasn’t all that easily detected because what didn’t move in a significant way was the voter registration numbers. Part of why voters who left the Democratic Party did not change their voter registration had to do with local elections and the state’s closed primary system.
[Ynet] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday in a call that lasted for about45 minutes. The call came against the backdrop of an Israeli airstrike that led to the accidental deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in the Gaza Strip, after which Biden said he was "outraged" about the incident. According to CNN, the talk was scheduled after the deadly attack.
Israeli officials said the conversation "went well," and claimed that it lasted 45 minutes, but the White House claimed on the other hand that it lasted "less than" half an hour.
The White House said in its readout of the conversation that two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza. President Biden "emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable. He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps," according to the White House readout.
The decision to betray already taken - now looking for excuse?
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
04/05/2024
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#7
The New York Times gets caught red-handed in yet ANOTHER hoax. Who expects anything better from them at this point?
BREAKING: The Intercept reports that journalists inside the New York Times are horrified by the "mass rape" atrocity propaganda hoax its editors allowed Anat Schwartz, Adam Sella and Jeffrey Gettleman to fabricate, and they fear they will scapegoat Schwartz to let it stand pic.twitter.com/R8AW6FvVgh
#8
Gonna find out the WCKN mission was an aid for profit coordination plus where the boxes with serial numbers ending in 402 go to a certain other address.
#12
The call came against the backdrop of an Israeli airstrike that led to the accidental deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in the Gaza Strip, after which Biden said he was "outraged" about the incident.
The assumption should always be that shit happens in war zones. If you're not comfortable with the risk then stay out of it.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2024 11:51
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#13
Biden said he was "outraged" or Obama?
Biden has dementia so outrage is something normal to expect for any interpreted slight or booboo.
President Salva Kiir on Wednesday (Aprl. 03) warned politicians against an extension of the period of transition.
He argued it would deny citizens an opportunity to choose their leaders and urged parliament to pass the necessary laws to pave the way for the elections.
Parliament Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba said politicians would redouble their efforts to ensure that all the prerequisites for elections are met.
His adress to parliament which return from recess comes just weeks after Salava Kiir's deputy and former rival Riek Machar proposed a postponement of elections expected to be held in December.
Vice President Machar suggested last month an extension of the transitional government’s term to allow for adequate preparation for the elections.
South Sudan became independent in 2011. After a peace deal in 2018 ended a civil war, elections were due to be held in February 2023. However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... the government of national unity of Salva Kiir and Riek Machar has failed to meet key clauses of the deal.
The nation is working to put into place a permanent constitution, an electoral commission and a unified police force, made up of pro-government and rebel factions, that would provide security to the troubled nation.
The landlocked country is facing an economic crisis due to a decline in oil exports after war-torn Sudan last month declared force majeure on oil shipments passing through the country. The fighting in Sudan has affected shipments destined for a terminal near Port Sudan along the Red Sea coast.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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[GEO.TV] More than 33,037 Palestinians have been killed and 75,668 have been injured in Israeli military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Some 62 Palestinians were killed and 91 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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[GEO.TV] Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI), the oldest religio-political party in Pakistain, is set to elect its new emir (leader) in early April for the next five years. Among the three names suggested by the party’s shura (decision-making executive council), Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, the current emir of the JI Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... chapter, holds prominence for a couple of reasons — he has rejuvenated the party in the country’s commercial hub and provided it with a "liberal, progressive and secular Islamic" outlook.
Unlike most Pak political parties, in which the top slots are reserved for the party founder or their family members and relatives, JI has a worker to leadership ladder in place. Hafiz is a beneficiary of the same system and is among the few top politicians who come from a middle-class background.
Big Picture explores his journey from being a student activist muppet to his current position of power, analysing the impact he has had on the party.
ROAD TO PARTY LEADERSHIP
Hafiz's political career began at 16 when he joined the Islami Jamaat-e-Talaba ...The Islamic Students' Organization: the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, where young Moslems are trained into the arts of street fighting... (IJT), the student wing of JI, in 1988. Already drawn to the religious political ideology espoused by JI founder Syed Abul Ala Maududi, he quickly rose through the ranks. This was the time when ethnic violence and fascism ...a political system developed in Italy, symbolized by the Roman fasces -- thin reeds, each flimsy in itself but unbreakable when bound into a bundle. Its distinguishing philosophical feature is the Corporate State, which is the alliance of big business and labor with the government in service to the all-powerful State. The word is nowadays thrown around by all sorts of oddballs who have no idea what they're talking about... were escalating in the port city and other urban centres of Sindh.
By the age of 20, he had been beaten up, arrested, and booked in numerous cases. His leadership qualities, honed through festivities with rival student groups, propelled him to become the "nazim ...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council... " (president) of his college and later, the head of IJT Karachi and Sindh. By 1998, he had reached the national level, becoming the Nazim-e-Ala of IJT Pakistain.
Hafiz's rise as IJT chief coincided with a crucial period for JI. The Afghan jihad against the Soviets — initially supported by Pakistain and the US — was winding down, and the "mujahideen" were being reframed as "terrorists." Yet, his speech at the organization’s 1998 annual convention in Islamabad continued to glorify the Afghan jihad and endorse the controversial al-Badr militia in Bangladesh, among other crucial matters.
From his perspective, the following two major things occurred in Pakistain when he was the IJT nazim-e-ala: Pakistain became a nuclear power, and General Pervez Perv Musharraf ...former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date. They'll hang him if they can catch him... toppled Nawaz Sharif ...served two three non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts... ’s government. According to him the IJT had initiated an 11-point education campaign for a unanimous curriculum, language of instruction, and against fee hikes among other issues, inviting other student groups to join forces with them, but Musharraf’s emergency destroyed the momentum.
After completing his tenure as IJT chief in 2000, Hafiz meticulously climbed the JI hierarchy, starting from the grassroots level again. His dedication earned him the position of JI Karachi's deputy general secretary in 2005. He contested his first election in 2001 and won the seat of "naib nazim" in a Nazimabad union council. In the 2002 general election, he lost a provincial assembly seat to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM) — a dominant party in Karachi at that time.
ALTAF'S FALL, HAFIZ'S RISE
Hafiz's leadership since 2013 as JI Karachi's emir has been marked by a distinct strategy. Although he had been vocal on the issues of the city since assuming the charge, he arguably gained the pace later after the fall of MQM supremo the increasingly Sydney Greenstreet-ish Altaf Hussain ... The head of MQM in Pakistain, who has lived in safety and comfort in London and hasn't laid eyes on his purported homeland since about the time Caesar made corporal. Judging from the size of him, he may be a Hutt... He struck when MQM's grip on the city's politics was loosening due to the disintegration of the party into many factions and seized the opportunity smartly.
Devoid of any central figure and direction following Altaf’s explosive August 2016 speech, Muttahida failed to keep its supporters and workers within its ranks, allowing rivals to fill the political vacuum.
Tapping the potential, JI started forcefully highlighting the issues faced by Karahciites on a day-to-day basis and raised its voice for their redressal, which helped it create space for itself in the port city.
In 2020, the city chapter of the party launched a robust campaign, the "Huqooq-e-Karachi Tehrik" (Rights of Karachi Movement), highlighting the metropolis’ grievances — water shortages, power outages, and economic disparity. Hafiz, with his carefully crafted persona and social media savvy team, emerged as the face of this campaign.
According to Hafiz, Karachi is in a mess. "Decades of neglect by the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) and MQM have left the city in ruins. We, at JI, saw this vacuum and spoke out. We raised our voices on issues like K-Electric, Nadra, indigenous land encroachment by a powerful real estate tycoon, and corruption, unlike the silent others — exposing their incompetence," he told Geo.tv.
"They've been playing politics as usual, while JI filled the gap. We focused on public concerns, especially youth and women, and strengthened communication with our audiences. This strategy paid off. Our vote bank has steadily grown.
According to political analyst and academic Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Hafiz brought changes to the JI’s old doctrine.
"He, along with other JI leaders, initiated a campaign for national identity cards for citizens irrespective of their religion, sect, or ethnicity. He raised his voice over the power tariff hike, and campaigned over water theft and dilapidated road infrastructure in the city," Dr Khan mentioned.
"He gave a secular perspective to JI by going to churches and mandirs during the Covid-19 pandemic to supervise disinfectant spraying campaigns. Hafiz petitioned in the courts against the delay in local bodies election and sought amendments in the local government governance system."
Dr Khan added that for the first time in the history of JI, women with uncovered faces also campaigned for the party, and not just them but also actresses, and the party used music significantly.
CASHING IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
JI Karachi — unlike other chapters of the party — has been very innovative in its use of media as compared to others and is considered by many as effective as that of PTI.
In the previous local bodies polls, they coined creative election slogans such as the famous ’Hal Sirf Jamaat-e-Islami’, developed reels from Bollywood songs, and appeared on popular YouTube channels to connect with younger voters.
Journalist and researcher Zia ur Rehman has credited the party’s media strategy for Hafiz’s rise.
"He has gotten significant media coverage, even more than JI emir Siraj ul Haq, because Karachi is the media hub in the country. Hafiz’s politics has revolved around local issues which affect every individual. This is how his personality evolved," Rehman mentioned.
Not only this, taking a leaf out of PTI’s playbook, they have several unofficial social media pages — like Karachi Stories — which are actively engaged in promoting Hafiz.
In an interview during a morning show, Hafiz said, "Our strength lies in in-house expertise. We conduct public opinion polls (both general and qualitative) to guide our strategies. Social media campaigns are crafted entirely by our team. We have a dedicated team of volunteers, some paid, but most driven by ideology. This translates to increased productivity."
An analysis of the party's social media handles shows that its Karachi chapter has established its supremacy having 77,000 followers on X account — the highest number of followers compared to other regions. Not only this, other divisions of the party, like JI Punjab, where the party is headquartered, have only 32,300 followers. Similarly, JI KP has 13,100 followers while JI Women has 44,600 followers.
However, ars longa, vita brevis... the party's main X handle (@JIPOfficial) has 280,600 followers.
Moreover, Hafiz's personal X account (@NaeemRehmanEngr) is among the top five most followed leaders of JI with 201,900 followers.
JI chief Sirajul Haq ...current head of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Siraj was born in 1962 and entered politics shortly after that... is on top with 1.3 million followers while Mushtaq Ahmed Khan has 207,500 followers, Liaqat Baloch 156,200, Dr Samia Raheel Qazi 115,500, Shamsuddin Amjad 75,100, Inayatullah Khan 62,400, Dr Meraj Siddiqui 43,200, Qaisar Sharif 37,300, Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha 25,200 and Mrs Aliya Mansoor 21,200 followers.
CONTRADICTIONS AND PRAGMATISM However, ars longa, vita brevis... Hafiz's pronouncements on certain issues raise eyebrows. While vehemently criticising MQM for playing the "Muhajir card," a form of ethnic politics, he — during the Grand Democratic Alliance's protest sit-in against the February 8 election rigging at Jamoshoro interchange — praised Ayaz Latif Palijo, leader of the Sindhi nationalist party, Qaumi Awami Tehrik (QAT), as the "Baghawat ka Shair (lion of the rebellion)".
This inconsistency exposes a pragmatic side to Hafiz's politics — perhaps cooperation trumps ideology when faced with a common political opponent. However, ars longa, vita brevis... Hafiz reacted to this by saying that he could have said it "in Josh-e-Khitabat" (in the heat of rhetoric), but referred to the same speech in which he said that Sindhis and Muhajirs would no longer be pitted against each other.
Sharing a similar incident from the past, Dr Khan mentioned that in the 70s when PPP and the National Awami Party (NAP) started taking industries into government hold, the JI opposed the move terming it un-Islamic.
He added, however, when in the 90s the same industries were being privatised courtesy of the free-market capitalism and neoliberalism policies, the JI opposed it, causing a shift in their strategy.
He noted that Hafiz had campaigned vehemently to shape public opinion against K-Electric for failing to provide adequate power supply to Karachi residents.
He said there was another change in the strategy as well. The party would celebrate Youm-e-Hijab each year on Women’s Day, but this time they celebrated Women’s Day instead.
Similarly, Hafiz's stance on the establishment role is intriguing. He advocates for a delicate balance between the public and the military, urging the military to stay within its constitutional boundaries. Yet, his criticism is far less pronounced compared to his fiery ...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob... attacks on other political parties.
This cautious approach suggests an awareness of the power dynamics in Pakistain's political landscape.
INTERNAL PARTY DYNAMICS
Hafiz's leadership style has impacted JI Karachi's internal structure. He has built a strong team around him, comprising researchers, social media specialists, lawyers, and volunteers, in contrast to the more hierarchical structure often associated with Islamist parties.
His emphasis on data-driven decision-making, further sets him apart from some traditional politicians.
According to him, "We conducted an extensive exercise analysing public demographics and socio-economic classes, revealing that despite our efforts, we struggle to effectively communicate our work. This perception persists from several years ago. Our movement is grounded in scientific principles, drawing insights from both quantitative and qualitative research."
However, ars longa, vita brevis... questions remain about the extent of ideological consensus within JI Karachi. Hafiz's focus on local issues and social welfare programmes may appeal to a broader segment of the population, but it could also alienate more hardline elements within the party. The long-term impact of Hafiz's leadership on JI's national ideology remains to be seen.
ASTUTE POLITICIAN?
When Hafiz relinquished his Sindh Assembly seat that he won in the 2024 election, some people called him an astute politician as with two seats, the party could not make a big difference in the provincial legislature and wanted to remain focused on the city council, where they enjoy a considerable mandate.
To this Hafiz said, "This isn't about where the Karachi case could be taken. It's a matter of principle and conscience. If I had won the seat, there might be a case to be made that I relinquished it to keep the local body seat. However, ars longa, vita brevis... the reality is that I lost by a few thousand votes. Their goal was to silence us on the seats we actually won. It was a political bribe, a lollipop offered by those who wanted to weaken JI's influence or hold it hostage."
Hafiz was not only widely covered by international media when he gave up the seat last month, he was also praised by political analysts for the move.
According to Dr Khan, this was a "positive" and "democratic" act.
Journalist Rehman notes that Hafiz announced the move after a thorough probe into the matter.
THE NATIONAL STAGE AND THE FUTURE OF JI
Hafiz's success in Karachi has inevitably fuelled speculation about his potential for the national leadership of JI. His charisma, communication skills, and ability to connect with younger demographics make him a potentially attractive candidate.
Rehman said Hafiz has the ability to engage with the audience as he is eloquent and assertive. He added that Naeem had contested the recent local bodies and the general election on his picture. Naeem’s campaign posters can be seen behind rickshaws, on street polls, and in other locations, which appear strategic from the marketing point of view to attract significant eyeballs.
"The Pak nation is religious, however, they don’t vote for religious political parties in the election because they prefer someone who speaks about solving their everyday problems. And understanding this issue Hafiz put his focus on local issues, while putting the religious issues behind."
POTENTIAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
According to Rehman, although Hafiz would be a popular figure within and outside the party, he would face significant challenges in his ascent to the position of power. Not only would he need to improvise the JI national-level political strategy, which would get him some opposition within the party, but he would also need to come up with issues that resonate with the general public and not just Karachi.
He said JI may need an aggressive person like Hafiz to raise the issues assertively.
"There is an anomaly to this thesis that the public doesn’t vote on the basis of religious issues and that is Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain (TLP), which capitalised on the blasphemy ...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran... issues and garnered votes more than what the JI and Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...a Pak religious party. It is usually part of the govt, never part of the solution... (Fazl) obtained from all over the country," Rehman said.
"PTI has dented the JI vote bank by getting the anti-MQM votes from Karachi and in comparison to PTI, JI has not resonated with the young voters much. This could be the personality issue. Most people, especially the youngsters, like Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... because of his personality. On the other hand, JI discourages personality politics, yet, it is needed in the country’s political landscape."
Dr Khan is also of the same opinion, and he referred to his article ’Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Ka New Edition’ published in the Express News on 18 January 2023, as saying, "Although Naeem has provided traction to JI in Karachi, it is yet to be seen whether the party adopts a similar strategy on the national level".
JI Karachi has provided a liberal, progressive, and secular outlook to the Islamic party, which is different from the past, according to Dr Khan.
In conclusion, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman is a complex and intriguing figure. He has revitalised JI Karachi and presented a more nuanced image of the party. His focus on local issues, innovative communication strategies, and emphasis on social welfare programmes have resonated with Karachi's electorate.
However, ars longa, vita brevis... questions about the depth of his ideological shift and his ability to translate his success to the national stage remain.
Overall, Hafiz's leadership represents a potential turning point for JI. Whether he can navigate the treacherous waters of Pak politics and steer JI towards a more moderate and inclusive future remains to be seen. His success, or failure, will be a significant indicator of the evolving political landscape in Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:45 While Ukraine is suffering from a shell famine at the front, bargaining continues in the United States regarding the provision of assistance to our country. The vote on a key bill has been postponed again. The House of Representatives is unlikely to consider aid to Ukraine until mid-April. Read more in the article US aid is postponed again.
21:38 Ukrainian and Hungarian high-level delegations held an online meeting at which they discussed ways to resolve the main issues on the bilateral agenda, the Presidential Office reported. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by the head of the OP Andriy Ermak, the Hungarian delegation by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó. “Of the 11 points that the Hungarian side proposed, five have actually already been agreed upon. The work continues and will be finalized as soon as possible,” Ermak said.
21:30 Iran will most likely begin supplying ballistic missiles to Moscow, but this is not happening yet, a NATO official said, Reuters reports. At the same time, he emphasized that the Alliance has not yet observed signs of the beginning of such deliveries. According to a NATO spokesman, Tehran will begin the transfer as soon as it agrees with Moscow on “mutually advantageous terms.”
20:34 The day before, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu called the head of the Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu for the first time in a year and a half. The conversation lasted more than an hour. According to the official French release, the reason for the negotiations was a terrorist attack near Moscow. However, after the negotiations, Moscow stated that it allegedly “expressed readiness to discuss possible peace negotiations” on the issue of the war in Ukraine. This conversation quickly turned into a diplomatic pain point for France. Read more in the article How Shoigu “framed” France.
19:36 Speaker of the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric said that he misheard the journalist’s question when he called on Ukraine not to attack Russia’s civilian infrastructure. "I heard the question incorrectly. If asked again, I would not have answered that way," he said. At a briefing on April 2, the speaker was asked to comment on the strikes on a drone production plant in Tatarstan. Dujarric said at the time that the UN "calls for an end to all attacks on civilian infrastructure."
18:54 Ukrenergo reported that it is introducing a temporary restriction of electricity consumption from 18:20 to 22:00 in the Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Kirovograd, Poltava and Sumy regions. The reason is the lack of sufficient generating capacity as a result of massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants. In addition, consumption in the country increases in the evening due to colder temperatures.
18:33 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once again stated that NATO has no plans to send troops to Ukraine, and Kiev did not ask for this: “Ukraine is not asking to send combat units of the Alliance, but is asking for increased military assistance.” At the same time, he emphasized that NATO is not a participant in the “Russian-Ukrainian conflict” and will not become part of it.
The Secretary General also named two possible scenarios for the development of events in Ukraine: “There are two scenarios here. On the one hand, NATO allies can provide assistance to Ukraine, and Ukraine will be able to regain more territory. On the other hand, this may not happen and Ukraine will lose even more territory, and the situation in Ukraine could become even more dangerous."
18:29 NATO countries have decided to create an Alliance mission in Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said following the summit. At the same time, he clarified that the creation of a mission does not mean participation in the war. “But this means that we will now be able to use NATO’s coordination, training, planning capabilities to support Ukraine in a more coordinated manner,” Sikorsky added. In particular, he said, a larger number of Ukrainian military personnel will undergo training in Poland.
18:26 The Russians carried out four airstrikes on New York, Donetsk region - currently two dead and one wounded are known, numerous private houses were damaged, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. He emphasized that the entire Donetsk region is now dangerous to life, and especially the front-line settlements, and once again called for timely evacuation.
18:05 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said that some of the proposals being considered by NATO “will certainly cross some lines that have hitherto been considered red.”
17:57 Kuleba said that he met in Brussels with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who, according to the Ukrainian minister, “immediately took action” to the call to find ways to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot systems as soon as possible.
17:14 The State Emergency Service stated that about 156 thousand square meters. km of the territory of Ukraine are now potentially dangerous due to possible mining - this is approximately 26% of the total area of the country.
17:11 Kuleba said that providing Ukraine with 100 billion euros in assistance from NATO over four years is currently unrealistic: “NATO is now trying to raise $500 million a year for an assistance package. That is, in the current financing model, this initiative has zero chance, because they cannot collect 500 million, and they will need to collect 20 billion. In the current model. But if it is possible to calculate the form of everyone’s mandatory participation in financing, then this idea has the right to exist and a chance of implementation.”
16:50 During the full-scale war in Ukraine, WHO recorded more than 1,600 attacks on the medical system. The shelling resulted in 128 deaths and 288 injuries to medical personnel and patients. Of the 68 attacks confirmed by the organization in the first quarter of 2024, 12 (almost 20%) were aimed at emergency medical services.
16:39 The only way to protect the energy system of Ukraine from the consequences of Russian attacks is to disperse electricity production throughout the state, said the Chairman of the Board of Ukrenergo Vladimir Kudrytsky: “That is, instead of 15 or 20 large power plants, it is necessary to build hundreds of small ones, from 5 to 30 MW of power. They will be more resilient to these attacks due to their dispersed nature.”
16:34 Representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Andrei Yusov claims that the drone attack on the plant for the production of “shaheds” in Tatarstan led to significant destruction at the enterprise: “There is significant destruction of production capacity and the continuation of the operation of the enterprise is complicated... I think such joys will be in the future. And their radius will increase."
16:30 According to updated data, as a result of Russian shelling of the land plot between the village. Berezovka and village Korotich, Kharkov district, an employee of an agricultural enterprise was killed and two more were wounded, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. Everyone was working in the field at that moment. Three agricultural vehicles were also damaged.
16:26 Kuleba said that Germany will immediately initiate a search for Patriot air defense systems for Kiev, not only among the allies, but throughout the world.
16:19 The advance of the Russian army was stopped thanks to certain stabilization actions, Zelensky said following a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. According to him, the main issues considered were the front, drones, electronic warfare equipment and air defense. In particular, there were reports by Syrsky on the situation in the main directions, by Umerov on the purchase of drones and electronic warfare systems, and by Chief of the General Staff Bargilevich on the fight against the instruments of Russian air terror.
15:52 Russia has now almost completely restored its army after huge losses at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, and China helped it in this, said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell: “Over the past couple of months, we have come to the conclusion that Russia has almost completely restored "We have actually witnessed how the PRC began to help restore Russia's defense industrial base, essentially replenishing trade with European partners." Also, according to him, Moscow was helped by the DPRK and Iran.
15:36 In Kharkov, due to Russian shelling, the nuclear subcritical installation Neutron Source has been de-energized, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation reported. The emergency power supply system worked as usual, emergency diesel generators were switched on. The radiation situation at the site is within normal limits. The Neutron Source installation is intended for scientific and applied research in the field of nuclear physics, radiation materials science, biology, chemistry, as well as for the production of medical radioisotopes.
14:55 Yesterday's Russian attack on a solar power plant in the Dnepropetrovsk region was the first targeted attack on a renewable energy facility in Ukraine, said Vladimir Kudrytsky, Chairman of the Board of Ukrenergo. According to him, similar objects near the front line were previously shelled, but for the first time this happened in the rear.
14:28 President of Poland Andrzej Duda handed over a letter to the leaders of NATO member countries in which he called for increasing defense spending from 2% to 3% of GDP: “I am convinced that this is the basis for the consistent strengthening of security throughout the Euro-Atlantic space. This is natural and fundamental the step we must take today in confronting the Kremlin’s imperial policies.”
14:24 The man who launched a missile attack on a pizzeria in Kramatorsk on June 27 last year was sentenced to life imprisonment with confiscation of property, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported. As a result of an Iskander-M missile strike on the Ria Pizza establishment in Kramatorsk, 13 people were killed and 64 were injured. Among the dead were four children, one child was injured.
13:50 The Russians struck the Kharkov region between populated areas - a tractor driver was killed, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
13:39 German companies are helping Russia restore occupied Mariupol, writes Tagesschau. Journalists found numerous logos of two companies - Knauf and WKB Systems GmbH - on construction equipment and materials in the city. There is also evidence in annual reports and on company websites. The information was confirmed by Member of the Bundestag from the CDU, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Roderich Kiesewetter. He condemned the involvement of German companies, saying they had "placed themselves in the service of a war that violated international law."
12:48 A meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of foreign ministers is being held in Brussels today. According to Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the meeting participants will discuss how they can strengthen cooperation and support, as well as “how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership.” The meeting will also discuss a "multi-year financial commitment from NATO allies." In turn, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that his “main message today will be Patriot.”
12:02 Latvia plans to sign an agreement on long-term support and security with Ukraine on April 11, at the Three Seas Initiative summit in Vilnius, writes Delfi.
11:53 Latvia is preparing a new package of military assistance for Ukraine, which will be transferred in April, Prime Minister Evika Silina said. The package will include, in particular, logistical equipment, ammunition and weapons. In addition, according to the prime minister, Ukraine will soon receive a batch of drones as part of the drone coalition worth 1 million euros. Silina reported that Latvia also supported the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and will contribute 10 million euros for this purpose.
11:34 Lavrov also stated that “it is already obvious that there was a Ukrainian trace in the terrorist attack in Crocus.”
11:31 France has not shown any readiness for dialogue with Russia on Ukraine, a representative of the French government told Reuters, commenting on the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense that Shoigu and Lecornu allegedly “noted their readiness for dialogue on Ukraine,” including on the basis of the Istanbul Peace Initiative. “This is not true. At no point did we show any readiness for dialogue on Ukraine, negotiations or anything like that,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
10:59 British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps writes in his column for The Telegraph that the world has moved from a post-war to a pre-war state: “Russia threatens our neighbors. China is becoming increasingly aggressive. Iran is using its proxies to cause regional chaos from the Middle East to the Yemen Strait. And North Korea is constantly rattling its nuclear saber."
The Minister calls for urgent thinking about the future of NATO and to do three things: redouble efforts to support Ukraine, increase spending on NATO and its defense, and strengthen the Euro-Atlantic defense sector.
10:40 The SBU reported that it had identified the hackers of the Russian GRU who attacked Kyivstar, and would transfer the case materials to The Hague after all examinations were carried out and suspicions were declared. Currently, the investigation has established that the attack on Kyivstar was carried out by the SandWorm hacker group, which is a regular unit of the GRU.
10:26 During the day, the Russians attacked the energy infrastructure in the Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk regions, the Ministry of Energy reports. In the Kharkov region, equipment at a power facility was damaged due to a night drone attack. A fire broke out and was extinguished by the State Emergency Service. In the Dnepropetrovsk region, the enemy fired at one of the solar power plants. As a result of the attack, the enterprise's equipment was damaged, a fire broke out, and one person was injured.
In Kharkov, during the liquidation of the consequences of night shelling, an employee of Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine LLC was injured. In the Sumy region, an employee of the same enterprise died as a result of the bombing of the village. Samotoevka.
10:18 The vote on aid to Ukraine in the US Congress may be postponed for several more weeks, Bloomberg writes. The publication's sources say the vote is unlikely to take place until at least mid-April. Johnson is still looking for ways to soften opposition from Republican hardliners.
09:32 It is necessary to discuss a strategy for ending the war in Ukraine in NATO and the EU, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky: “General debate about our strategy towards Russia is not being conducted either in NATO or in the EU. I consider this a mistake. In the course of such "We need to discuss how the war in Ukraine should end." At the same time, according to him, Ukraine should have the right to vote when deciding on a future peace with Russia.
Lipavsky also spoke out against freezing the war: “I am not happy when I hear about freezing the conflict, because in Ukraine the conflict has been frozen since 2014, and the current war is simply a continuation of the frozen conflict that began in 2014. So, in my opinion "In my opinion, this will not bring a just and lasting peace on the European continent."
08:55 The Latvian government announced that it will give Ukraine free of charge 12 more cars that were confiscated from drivers for drunk driving.
08:29 Among the victims in Kharkov are a rescuer, a policeman and a nurse, the National Police clarified. Three high-rise buildings, three units of fire and rescue equipment, two ambulances and a hospital building were damaged.
08:21 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 4:
personnel - about 445,040 (+670) people,
tanks - 7018 (+9),
armored combat vehicles - 13,386 (+18),
artillery systems - 11,171 (+29),
MLRS - 1026 (+1),
air defense systems - 746 (+1),
aircraft - 347 (+0),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 8817 (+21),
cruise missiles - 2059 (+0),
ships/boats - 26 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 14,861 (+48),
special equipment - 1845 (+7).
08:04 In Kharkov, the number of victims as a result of the night attack increased to 12 people, four people were killed, including three rescuers, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In total, the enemy used at least 15 drones across the region, some of which were shot down by air defense forces. Also at night, the enemy struck the city of Lozovaya - civilian infrastructure was damaged, no people were injured.
08:00 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states that Russian troops are increasing the overall pace of their offensive operations in Ukraine. In particular, they have increased the number and scale of mechanized ground assaults on certain sectors of the front over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian sources continue to emphasize that the fragmented and late arrival of new Western systems will allow Russian troops to adapt and neutralize the likely operational advantages from them, experts say.
07:56 At night, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 20 attack drones of the Shahed-136/131 type. Air defense destroyed 11 of them, the General Staff reported.
07:49 Over the past 24 hours, 65 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, the enemy tried 22 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Novomikhailovka, Urozhainy, southeast of Vodyanoy, Donetsk region. Another 15 attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction (in the areas of Berdychi, Umansky, Yasnobrodovka, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky of the Donetsk region) and 14 attacks in Bakhmutsky (in the areas of Belogorovka of the Luhansk region, as well as Sporny, Andreevka, southeast of Vyemka and Kleshcheevka of the Donetsk region).
In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled one enemy attack in the Andreevka area of the Lugansk region; on Limansky - five attacks in the Ternov area of the Donetsk region; on Kherson - seven attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper. In the Orekhovsky direction over the past 24 hours, the enemy has not carried out offensive actions.
04:32 The Russians carried out at least four drone strikes on Kharkov, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. High-rise buildings and private houses were damaged. Currently, four people are killed and at least ten injured. In particular, as a result of the second strike, three rescuers were killed, a nurse and another rescuer were injured.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/05/2024
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life,
[SUDANTRIBUNE] The US Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, issued a strong warning today against a potential offensive on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
"Any offensive on El Fasher would be disastrous for Darfur’s civilians and only worsen the already dire situation in Sudan," Perriello said in a statement on Wednesday.
His comments come amid rising tensions in the region, fueled by reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to El Fasher and restricting civilian movement.
"These actions only add to the suffering of the Sudanese people," Perriello added.
The U.S. envoy reiterated the U.S. position, urging all parties involved in the conflict to immediately cease attacks and uphold their commitments under international law, as well as the agreements reached at the recent Jeddah peace talks.
On Wednesday evening, the Sudanese air force targeted the RSF forces outside El-Fasher and in Mellit of the North Darfur state. Also, they bombed the paramilitary forces in Nyala of South Darfur.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
#1
So who is funding the Sudan army? Traditionally equipment has arrived from China and paid for by Iran. As for the RSF, "A 2019 investigation revealed that more than 1,000 vehicles – most of them Toyota Hilux pick-ups – were purchased from dealers in the United Arab Emirates, and later equipped with mounted weapons. The funds to purchase the vehicles were likely sourced from [RSF's] Hemedti’s vast gold mining operations in Sudan." However, this doesn't make sense as the gold mining occurs northeast of Khartoum and controlled by the government.
In fact, the UAE seem to be the primary RSF funding agents, but what they hope to accomplish in the Sudan is murky at best.
#2
Russia / Wagner is funding and supplying Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.
The coup countries across the Sahel (Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Sudan - particularly the former French Colonies) are getting support from Russia to break away from French Colonialism, and there are seen to kill more ISIS.
[DefenseNews] Several of the U.S. Navy’s top shipbuilding programs are running one year to three years behind schedule, as the service and the industrial base grapple with workforce and management challenges.
Navy leaders conducted a 45-day review of its shipbuilding portfolio, following news in January that a first-of-class guided-missile frigate was behind schedule due in part to a workforce shortage at Fincantieri’s Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin.
Coupled with existing delays to the Virginia-class attack submarine construction line and worries those delays might spill over to the top-priority Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro that month ordered an “assessment of national and local causes of shipbuilding challenges, as well as recommended actions for achieving a healthier U.S. shipbuilding industrial base that provides combat capabilities that our warfighters need, on a schedule that is relevant.”
A SNAPSHOT OF DELAYS
The review’s leaders, Navy acquisition chief Nickolas Guertin and Naval Sea Systems Command head Vice Adm. James Downey, told reporters April 2 the review provided a snapshot of shipbuilding delays and challenges.
Based on current performance, the Navy projects the first Columbia-class SSBN will deliver 12 to 16 months later than its contractual delivery date of October 2027. The submarine is built by General Dynamics’ Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding.
This is particularly worrisome because the vessel is expected to deploy shortly after its post-delivery testing and training. The Navy is obligated to have 10 SSBNs ready to deploy, lurking beneath the oceans while carrying nuclear missiles. The service is counting on the lead Columbia boat to deliver in 2027 so it can go on its maiden patrol in 2031. With any delays, the Navy will dip below the requirement.
Guertin said the Navy took significant steps prior to the pandemic to reduce risk on this program and accelerate the schedule where possible.
SUPPLY ISSUES
“COVID happened. Supply chain changed. Workforce greening happened,” he said, but previous risk-reduction steps kept the pandemic impacts “as minimal as possible.” The Columbia program, the Navy’s top acquisition priority, is the least delayed of the new programs assessed in the shipbuilding review, Guertin said.
#2
The service is counting on the lead Columbia boat to deliver in 2027 so it can go on its maiden patrol in 2031. With any delays, the Navy will dip below the requirement.
...Oh, but they have an answer for that: a bobtail refit for three Ohios to keep the numbers right.
One tiny, teeny-weeny, infinitesmal problem, almost not worth mentioning: there is no place to do the refits. They could yank other boats out of work to get the Ohios in, but then the ripple effect does it's thing. And there's no guarantee that the refits will be done on time in any event.
#3
Go to college industry sort of left out the skills needed to build the equipment needed by a modern military. A thousand credentialed debt holders does not make up for one good skilled shipbuilder.
#5
Yes # 4. The problem is building the ranks. Major help issues. So you get a high paying welding or iron worker job. The taxes are insane. So The Francis Scott key bride requires union workers. Understaffed back door option is to hire non union workers. In come the Mexicans and others of Latin persuasion. This option will occur should production be delayed.
#8
4 ships reviewed by brass including Marines. Why Marines I do not know. Alabama port. Rush welding work. Lumpy and bumpy welds. Seems drones of all types are the future with AI.
#9
Regular working skilled trades say new help is worthless. If they show up at all just stand there. Big trade show with about 1200 showing up. One signed up to get into the system. If they make it to the sight no show next day. 40 dollar per hour flagger ticketed for going 85 miles per hour. Laid off for four days. He will soon get disability so out of the work force. No desire to work. This is how the system works.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster in the country due to the devastating drought that has gripped much of southern Africa. This was reported on the page of the head of state on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“We are mobilizing resources to assist affected communities and mitigate the impact of this natural disaster,” the head of state wrote.
Declaring a national emergency at State House in Harare on April 3, the president called on the global community to provide $2 billion (£1.6 billion) in humanitarian aid to mitigate the effects of drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
“Preliminary estimates indicate that Zimbabwe requires more than $2 billion for the various measures we are putting in place in our national response,” Mnangagwa said.
He also added that below-normal rainfall fell on more than 80% of the country, which is home to more than 15 million people. This caused a difficult food situation.
The President called the main priority of the Zimbabwean government to provide food for the country's citizens.
“No Zimbabwean should suffer or die from hunger,” he said.
Mnangagwa said authorities expect more than 2.7 million people will need food assistance, Sky News reported.
As Regnum reported, experts surveyed by Bloomberg said that 2024 could become the hottest year on record and break the 2023 record. Experts explained that the increase in temperature this year will be influenced by the natural phenomenon El Niño, associated with fluctuations in the temperature of the surface layer of water in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean. According to preliminary estimates, this year the average temperature on the planet will increase by 1.3–1.6 degrees.
The effect of El Niño was noticed in the summer of 2023. The US National Centers for Environmental Prediction reported in July that the average temperature on the planet has broken records known throughout the history of weather observations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video message to the participants of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai in November 2023, said that humanity is experiencing climate collapse.
He called 2023 the hottest year in human history. Data to the end of October showed temperatures in 2023 were up about 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
According to the UN World Meteorological Organization, summer 2023 was the hottest on record.
The scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, Roman Vilfand, said on February 21 that the natural phenomenon El Niño, which could provoke an abnormally hot summer in 2024, will begin to cease its effect in April. According to him, in the second half of this year, with a probability of more than 60%, La Niña, the cold analogue of El Niño, will begin. In this case, the temperature on the planet will be below normal.
[An Nahar] Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday stressed that Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...In 2020 Hezbollah blew up a considerable portion of Beirut and many of its inhabitants when its ammonium nitrate facility exploded. They blamed it on... somebody else. It wasn't them though. Trust them on that. And it ain't never coming to trial... is seeking "real peace" and "the peace of humanitarian justice."
"We raise our voice to the international community, condemning the (Israeli) attacks and demanding that the enemy be deterred, war be stopped and peace be brought," Mikati said at the beginning of a Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.
"I would like to emphasize through Cabinet that Lebanon has friends in all world countries who are honestly working to press the Israeli enemy to halt its aggression against Lebanon," Mikati added.
Separately, the premier said there are "signs of a diplomatic crisis with Cyprus."
"Some Cypriot newspapers have attacked Lebanon over the file of the refugees who are reaching Cyprus illegally through Lebanon’s territorial waters," Mikati said.
"I have conducted the necessary contacts with the Cypriot authorities, underscoring keenness on the best relations with Cyprus and that we don’t accept to export the refugee crisis to it," he added.
As for the banking sector file, Mikati denied that the file of restructuring the country’s banks has been shelved, describing reports in this regard as baseless.
"The file is being calmly studied, and when its elements get completed, we will call for a ministerial meeting before raising the issue in Cabinet according to a clear organizational vision endorsed by everyone," Mikati said.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] On the evening of April 3, negotiations took place between Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu. Official Paris urgently requested the conversation, the Russian Ministry of Defense noted. The very fact of communication caused a public outcry. For several reasons. Firstly, simply because the conversation took place - the first telephone conversation between the ministers of the two countries in 18 months. Supporters of the idea of global isolation of Russia are already indignant. For example, former French President Francois Hollande demands that the authorities not have any contact with Moscow at all.
#4
#3 Preemptive surrender talks by the French?
Posted by: AlanC 2024-04-05 09:28
AlanC,
I'd give them a little slack. Their collapse in at the beginning of WWII was because they simply had not recovered from the trauma of the First World War, and the few lessons they tried to apply were all the wrong ones. Take a look at the battles of the Marne and Verdun - they held the line through that.
I have served alongside French forces - they are smart, very cocky, and very good. If they go into action again, it will be them telling the other side where to stand with the white flags.
Yes, after Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia, Tsar Alexander's troops entered Paris. The didn't stay as long as Stalin's troops did in Berlin but both occupations were in response to invasions of Russia from the West. Moral of the story: If you don't want Russian troops in your capitol city, stay out of Russia.
[Breitbart] WW3, thanks, you incompetent f*cks
NATO is going to “build a bridge” towards Ukraine becoming a member state of the defensive alliance, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the organisation’s 75th birthday.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states met in Brussels at the alliance’s headquarters on Thursday to toast the 75th anniversary of its founding, among them U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who like others used the occasion to discuss renewed Russian aggression and the potential place of Ukraine among its members. He emphasised the view, already articulated multiple times by NATO leaders in recent years, that “Ukraine will become a member of NATO”.
What he left unsaid, however, was the conditions that generally come with the statement, that this membership would be when Ukraine is in a fit state to join, including not being occupied by a foreign power.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2024
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#2
Why? Ukraine isn't anywhere close to being able to join, even if it was at peace. I have nothing against it, IF they meet the standards and IF they clean up the remnants of the old Soviet government more. But at the end of hostilities or in 10 years? Not likely. 15 maybe.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, nine mobilized Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers with Russian citizenship have died. This was reported on April 4 at the Israeli embassy in the Russian Federation.
The diplomatic mission added that among the military personnel there are many Russians with dual citizenship.
As Regnum reported, as of October 20 last year, after the situation in the Middle East worsened, 20 Russians, including civilians and military and law enforcement officials, were killed as a result of attacks from the Gaza Strip. All of them also had Israeli citizenship.
The representative of the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported on January 25 that the number of people killed as a result of strikes and actions of the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip had increased to 25,900, and the number of victims exceeded 64 thousand.
On October 7, another escalation of the long-standing confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis began. Then the Palestinian Hamas movement launched a massive rocket attack on Israeli territory and captured several settlements.
The IDF responded by striking the Gaza Strip and regaining control of the towns adjacent to the enclave. On October 8, the Israeli authorities announced the transfer of the state to a state of war.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Britain, France and the Nordic states are secretly preparing to send troops to the conflict zone in Ukraine. US State Department consultant Edward Luttwak wrote about this on April 4in an article for the UnHerd portal.
According to him, the alliance countries will soon have to send troops to the territory of Ukraine or accept the catastrophic defeat of Kyiv in the conflict with Russia.
“The British and French, along with the Nordic countries, are already quietly preparing to send troops - both small elite units and logistics and support personnel - who can remain away from the front lines,” he said.
The State Department consultant noted that NATO countries, given the lack of military personnel, will have to send troops to Ukraine soon, and otherwise the bloc will have to accept a “catastrophic defeat.”
As Regnum reported, at the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Western leaders were discussing the possible dispatch of troops to Ukraine. After these words, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the heads of several European countries denied the existence of such plans.
The American Conservative magazine wrote on March 11 that the West risks entering into a military conflict with Russia if it sends troops to Ukraine. On March 22, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine within two or three months.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated on April 2 that Washington is against sending ground troops to the conflict zone in Ukraine. According to him, this scenario could bring a direct conflict with Russia closer.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on April 4 that Russia does not intend to enter into a military conflict with NATO or its member countries. At the same time, he clarified that the situation in relations between Russia and NATO is predictable and is deliberately worsened by the alliance.
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#4
Well that's the question, other than fighting hill goobers - and eventually losing - Afghanistan and 20 community hours of pronoun identification, what does the US know about ultra-light drone warfare?
MFs go out there like its still the age of Pepperdogs and get whomped, just like that first wave of crusaders did, podcasting how the MREs weren't up to snuff.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The United States of America will introduce a resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) early next week calling for the non-deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space. John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, announced this on Thursday, April 4.
“We will bring this resolution to a vote in New York early next week,” Kirby said during the briefing.
The White House representative recalled that Washington's permanent representative to the international organization, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced last month the intention of the United States of America and Japan to submit a resolution on the non-placement of nuclear weapons in space to the UN Security Council for a vote.
John Kirby also noted that the American side is counting on the support of this document from the Russian side, since Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated the absence of intentions to deploy nuclear weapons in space.
As Regnum reported, on February 20, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu, emphasized that Moscow has always been against the militarization of space, including against the deployment of nuclear weapons in low-Earth orbit. The head of state recalled that Russia does not do anything in space that other states do not do.
With the aid of far-left groups, illegal foreign national migrants have been occupying a park in central Seattle. They're demanding more taxpayer-funded housing and resources. The far-left sees mass migration as a way to overload & undermine capitalism. pic.twitter.com/X1jlp6ltUK
#2
“With the aid” seems to be the mantra. Who are these groups? Who is funding them? Who works for them?
Lot of parks to pick between Kent and Seattle. Why that one?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Members of armed gangs destroyed and looted the National Library of Haiti in the capital, Port-au-Prince. This was reported by AFP on April 3 with reference to the administration of the institution.
It is noted that as a result, historical documents up to 200 years old could have been lost.
Bandits also looted at least two universities and three health facilities in Port-au-Prince this week.
As Regnum reported, on March 21, the US State Department began evacuating American citizens from Haiti on charter helicopters amid growing violence in this republic. It was noted that US citizens were being taken from Port-au-Prince to the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo.
German Ambassador to Haiti Peter Sauer left the country on March 10 due to security concerns. It was noted that he moved to the neighboring Dominican Republic.
The security and humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply in Haiti following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a subsequent earthquake. A struggle has begun in the country for the redistribution of spheres of influence between criminal groups, which is accompanied by murders and kidnappings of citizens.
#1
Barbarians are really good at torching famed libraries: E.g., The Al Sa'eh of Tripoli for one.
And In 2011, the great library of Cairo, Egypt, the Institut d'Egypte, a research center founded by Napoleon in 1789 was torched. The building sheltered 192,000 rare books, manuscripts... America is next.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg allowed two scenarios for the development of the conflict in Ukraine, including the defeat of Kiev.
“There can be two scenarios: first, NATO will be able to increase more support, and second, we do not increase support, and then <...> we will find ourselves in an even more dangerous position,” said the NATO Secretary General.
He called the situation on the battlefield difficult, noting that the only way to help Ukraine is to have strong armed forces there. At the same time, Stoltenberg acknowledged the likelihood that NATO will not be able to supply Ukraine with the necessary amount of weapons to counter Russia. The Secretary General added that the alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Alliance celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding on April 4. At the alliance headquarters in Brussels, a series of events were planned for this occasion with the participation of the foreign ministers of 32 NATO member states.
As Regnum reported, at a briefing on April 4, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov assessed relations between Russia and NATO. According to him, they have descended to the level of direct confrontation. The Kremlin representative recalled NATO's advance towards Russian borders. At the same time, Peskov added that the alliance was created by the United States and is managed as an instrument of confrontation, primarily on the European continent. As Peskov emphasized, NATO is a destabilizing factor.
The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, in an interview with The Washington Post, stated that without the resumption of Western support, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be forced to constantly retreat.
The Standard suggested that Ukraine could be defeated in the conflict by the summer of 2024. According to journalists, the Ukrainian army lost a total of 385 thousand people, and the Russian army surpasses the Ukrainian Armed Forces in firepower several times.
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#1
Stoltenberg identified two scenarios for the development of the conflict in Ukraine
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Members of the Iranian-recognized terrorist group Jaish al-Adl, who attacked two police stations in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan in southeastern Iran, hoped to penetrate the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This was announced on April 4 by the Deputy Governor of the region, Alireza Marhamati.
“Terrorists in Raska planned to infiltrate the IRGC headquarters, but were thwarted by a shootout with the police. Nevertheless, the conflict still continues,” Iran International TV channel quoted Marhamati as saying.
It is noted that in Raska and Chabahar, police killed two militants, and several more attackers were injured.
As reported by Regnum news agency, on April 3 around 22:00 local time (21:30 Moscow time), the Jaysh al-Adl group attacked two police stations in the Iranian cities of Rask and Chabahar in the southeast of the country. Three security personnel were killed in the attack, Alireza Marhamati said.
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[GEO.tv] Princess Meghan Markle ...unlikable American former starlet married to the formerly likable Prince Harry. Chock full of lefty political opinions and not many brains, Markle's most important characteristic is that she is Black, even though she doesn't look it. Her mother, y'see, is half black and her father is white, which would make her a quarter Black. Once married, she was too classy for the Royals and she and Harry decamped to Beverly Hills, kind of like the Clampetts did, because she was so much classier than the Winsdors.... ’s new lifestyle brand is facing a lot of fake accounts jeopardising her credibility.
The Duchess of Sussex, who introduced American Riviera Orchard back in March with an appealing Instagram account, is being targeted.
Speaking about the Duchess new brand, digital marketing agency Own Your Space explained: "The Instagram for American Riviera Orchard showcases a robust following of over half a million, a testament to her powerful personal brand and appeal. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the presence of a 13.77% 'fake follower' metric reveals a common challenge in digital brand management. Navigating this landscape requires strategic engagement and authentic content to maintain and enhance brand integrity."
He adds: "Having 7.25% suspicious mass followers and 6.52% likely bots or fake accounts presents a significant threat to the integrity of her brand. These fake followers not only distort engagement metrics but also undermine the authenticity and trustworthiness of her online presence."
He noted: "With the rise of influencer marketing and the increasing emphasis on genuine connections with audiences, the presence of fake followers can tarnish Markle's credibility and hinder her ability to effectively communicate with her genuine followers."
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Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", official Osama Hamdan said on Thursday there has been no progress in Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ceasefire talks despite the Paleostinian group showing flexibility.
Hamdan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was placing obstacles hindering both parties from reaching an agreement, and that he is "not interested" in releasing Israeli hostages.
"The occupation government is still evading, and negotiations are stuck in a vicious circle", Hamdan said at a presser held in Beirut.
Egyptian and Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i efforts, backed by the United States, have so far failed to achieve a ceasefire.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] Israeli authorities believe that an Iranian strike in response to the attack on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus on April 1 is inevitable and could occur as early as this Friday, that is, Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, which falls on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The British BBC reports this. In anticipation of retaliatory strikes, the GPS system began to jam over Israeli territory. In addition, IDF soldiers serving in combat units are denied leave.
The risk of further escalation in the region has never been higher.
AT THE "RED LINE"
The attack on the consulate is not the first time since the start of the offensive on Gaza that Israel has struck Syria, where high-ranking Iranian officers have also previously been killed.
Last December, Israeli attacks killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Razi Mousavi, who was responsible for supplying Lebanese Hezbollah with weapons. On January 20, General Sadegh Omidzadeh, head of intelligence for the Quds Force in Syria, was killed.
But these attacks were not aimed at an Iranian government facility, but at Syrian military bases and headquarters where Iranian officers were present, or at Hezbollah facilities that hosted Iranian advisers and trainers.
However, a direct strike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus this week, killing General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, head of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, his deputy Mohammad Haj Rahimi, Hossein Aminullah, the top Iranian adviser in Syria, as well as four others officer, seriously shifts the “red lines,” if not to say that he completely violates them.
First of all, because Iran’s diplomatic mission came under direct attack, which in itself is an unprecedented act of aggression and a direct attack on the Islamic Republic, taking into account the status of the diplomatic mission as the sovereign territory of the country.
In this regard, on Wednesday Russia initiated a meeting of the UN Security Council, at which it proposed to prepare a statement condemning the Israeli strike as an attack on a diplomatic mission. However, the USA, Great Britain and France opposed it. However, even Saudi Arabia, which until recently was considered an enemy of Iran, condemned the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate.
However, the main question remains whether Iran will respond to the Israeli strike symmetrically, that is, on its own, or asymmetrically, that is, it will entrust this mission to its regional proxies.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel would be "slapped in the face." “The defeat of the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip will continue, and this regime will be close to decline and collapse,” Khamenei said in an address to country officials in Tehran. “Desperate efforts like the ones they made in Syria will not save them from defeat. Of course, they will also be slapped in the face for this,” he added.
It does not directly follow from Rahbar’s statements whether Iran itself will strike Israel or will continue to act with the help of its allies, only increasing the intensity of attacks on the Jewish state.
Nevertheless, Tehran is now closer than ever before to that “red line” when it is ready to strike directly at Israeli territory.
It is unlikely that it will be possible to limit ourselves to attacks on certain Israeli intelligence Mossad targets in Iraqi Kurdistan, as was the case before. It is obvious that the result of the attack in Damascus is not the efforts of some intelligence network, but a direct attack by the IDF.
Therefore, an attack by Iranian ballistic missiles on Israeli territory is more real than ever. But it would rather be of a very limited “tactical nature” in order to avoid the risk of a full-scale war.
Overall, Iran appears to have no intention of abandoning its war of attrition tactics against Israel in the hope that, over time, Benjamin Netanyahu's regime will further isolate itself and weaken its international support through its own actions. At the same time, Tehran will continue to influence Israel by weakening its capabilities in Gaza through its allies such as the Lebanese Hezbollah or the Houthis.
Iran has always sought to avoid direct confrontation with Israel, preferring to use its regional proxies for this, and so far it is hardly ready to abandon this well-established strategy that is producing results.
At the same time, the retaliatory actions of Tehran and the Axis of Resistance forces under its auspices often affected not so much Tel Aviv as Washington, since the targets of attacks by pro-Iranian forces were primarily American military facilities in Syria or Iraq.
NEW FRONT AND ATTRITION STRATEGY
However, this time the Islamic Republic needs to ensure that its response is specific to Israel. The situation is noticeably different from the terrorist attack in Kerman, when Iran blamed it on both the United States and Israel, although the explosion itself was carried out by ISIS terrorists (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation).
Back then, the accusations were based on assumptions and circumstantial evidence, but now Israel’s involvement in the attacks is obvious, which means the answer must be appropriate.
Iran's main ally, Hezbollah, already has a wide arsenal of various missiles, drones and other weapons and has not yet fully deployed them in the confrontation with Israel. Now Hezbollah has the opportunity to activate these resources.
There are other options regarding the opening of new fronts against the Jewish state. In particular, massive attacks from the pro-Iranian “Islamic Resistance of Iraq” from the Syrian part of the Golan Heights, which have long served as a base for pro-Iranian groups, cannot be ruled out.
Attacks can be carried out using MLRS, other types of missiles, or the latest drones, which can be obtained from Iran. It is also likely that assault groups will be used to invade the Israeli-occupied Golan.
In addition, attacks on Israel can also be carried out through the territory of Jordan from Iraq by the forces of the same “Islamic Resistance”.
Abu Ali al-Askari, chief of security for Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia, part of the pro-Iranian Iraqi Islamic Resistance, said his forces are ready to arm and train 12,000 militiamen in Jordan for the war against Israel. Al-Askari even has a plan to disrupt ties between Jordan and Israel by blocking roads and preventing the delivery of goods.
“If the actions of the Iraqi militias embarrass the Iraqi government, we will be able to find suitable alternatives,” a Kataib Hezbollah spokesman said.
In Jordan, which has been grappling with street demonstrations against Israel for more than two weeks, urgent military discussions have been convened to prepare a scenario in which the kingdom becomes the new front for an "axis of resistance."
THE US DOES NOT WANT ESCALATION
On the other hand, a massive Hezbollah incursion into Israel would likely force the United States into the conflict as well. It cannot be ruled out that this is part of Netanyahu’s plan.
It is significant that the Israeli strike occurred on April 1, immediately after a virtual meeting in which Israeli officials agreed to take into account US “concerns” about a possible invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
“The American side has expressed concern about various actions in Rafah. The Israeli side agreed to take these concerns into account and hold subsequent discussions between experts,” the White House said. And they added that further discussions will be held, including another meeting next week.
Therefore, Tel Aviv’s attack on Damascus is a challenge from Israel to not only Iran, but also the United States. Like, if you are so afraid of an escalation with Iran over Rafah, listening to your “Arab friends,” then we will make a new round of confrontation with the “Axis of Resistance” inevitable. And then it will no longer matter whether the IDF launches an attack on Rafah or not.
We can say that Washington has found itself virtually hostage to Tel Aviv and is forced to continue to support it, despite its rejection of what the Netanyahu regime is doing in Gaza. Refusal to support Israel would mean the loss of a political future for any American politician.
Now, Israel, with its strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility, can drag the United States into a new confrontation with Iran. Moreover, this time the conflict could take much more dangerous forms.
Fearing such a scenario, the United States has already sent an urgent message to Iran that Washington was not involved in the attack.
“Please don’t hurt us!”
But that may not be enough to allow the United States to avoid retaliation against its forces in the region.
In particular, the commander of the US Air Force in the Middle East, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grinkevich, said that Iran's assertion of US responsibility for Israel's actions could end the pause in attacks by pro-Iranian militias on US troops that have been ongoing since early February.
He said he does not yet see any specific threat to American troops, but is concerned about Iranian rhetoric as it creates increased risks.
In general, Iran will most likely refrain from any actions that could bring the escalation to a new level of tension and will continue to use the strategy of exhausting the Netanyahu regime.
Moreover, in addition to the blow to Damascus, the Israelis launched another one in Gaza. It claimed the lives of aid workers and Western citizens, which also prompted unprecedented condemnation of Netanyahu's actions.
A growing split between the Jewish state and its allies - the United States and the countries of the European Union - is evident. And it is important for Iran to maintain the dynamics of dissatisfaction with Israel’s actions in order to prevent the restoration of consolidation of the Western world.
Posted by: badanov ||
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#4
Israel has had more than a decade to plan for such a scenario. A devastating Netanyahu counter-attack may be precisely what Iran expects and will limit its own activity at present.
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line and engaged AFU manpower and hardware close to Rozovka, Raygorodka, Zhovtnevoye (Lugansk People's Republic), and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 125 Ukrainian troops and four motor vehicles.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and hit manpower and hardware of the 28th Mechanised, 92nd Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 241st Territorial Defence Brigade near Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka, and Krasnogorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU lost up to 340 Ukrainian troops, one tank, and eight motor vehicles.
In the course of the counter-battery warfare, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, one 152mm D-20 howitzer, two 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, three 122mm D-30 howitzers, as well as three AFU ammunition depots were eliminated.
In Avdeyevka direction, the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line. They defeated the units of the 24th, 47th Mechanised, 3rd Assault, and 25th Airborne brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Orlovka, Berdychi, and Tonenkoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counterattack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 25th Airborne Brigade was repelled close to Pervomayskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 305 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system.
In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the 72nd Mechanised Brigade, as well as the 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Vodyanoye, Storozhevoye, and Ugledar (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 105 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and one 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS combat vehicle during the day.
In Kherson direction, the units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the 28th Mechanised and 128th Mountain Assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Mirnoye and Pyatikhatki (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 35 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, as well as the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have been eliminated: an ammunition depot, a temporary deployment area of foreign mercenaries close to Merefa (Kharkov region), as well as manpower and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 135 areas.
Russian air defence facilities have shot down one Su-27 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Kramatorsk (Donetsk People's Republic), destroyed 196 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and intercepted 18 HIMARS MLRS projectiles.
In total, 582 airplanes, 270 helicopters, 18,734 unmanned aerial vehicles, 495 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,687 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,264 MLRS vehicles, 8,654 field artillery guns and mortars, and 20,596 special military vehicles have been neutralised since the beginning of the special military operation.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/05/2024
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🔥"Now we have the problem of the pro-Palestine who are actually giving Hamas cover. They are participants in the crime. In fact, since Oct 7, I personally don't differentiate between Hamas and so-called Palestinians."
🔥"You don't know what Palestine is. In fact, the kaffiyeh that you're wearing is just a statement to show that you really lack the authenticity to represent the kids."
🔥"The cause must die. Enough is enough... and you are helping Hamas to prove to the world that Palestine depends on the destruction of the State of Israel. This is not acceptable and we are not going to agree to it."
"For the next ten or twenty years, the Palestinian people will pay the bill for what Hamas has caused today."
The Son of Hamas,
@MosabHasanYOSEF
appeared on Dr. Phil and faced off against two seniors from the University of Michigan and ripped their arguments to shreds. ⤵️
People who support Hamas, and people who claim to support Palestinians but refuse to condemn Hamas are COMPLICIT in the evil of Hamas, and it's time to tell them that to their faces.
Thank you, Mr. Yosef, for your voice and incredible moral clarity!
PJ Media discusses the interview here, identifying him as:
Mosab Hasan Yosef, the son of Hamas cofounder Sheikh Hassan Yousef.
The violence perpetrated by Hamas ended up disturbing Yousef so much that he not only broke with the jihad group but also helped Israeli intelligence, Breitbart explained. Yousef also converted to Christianity.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] At the end of March, actress and public figure Olga Budina said in an interview with the online publication “Paragraph” that Barbie dolls are one of the reasons for the decline in public morality.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confront the Russian army.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to inflict damage to the occupying forces in manpower and equipment, depleting the enemy along the entire line of combat.
During the day, 57 military clashes were recorded at the front. In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled more than 20 enemy attacks. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced this in an evening report on Thursday, April 4.
In total, Russian troops carried out two missile and 61 air strikes, and carried out 49 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas.
In the Kupyansk direction the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) operations. In the Liman direction, Ukrainian soldiers repulsed four enemy attacks in the area of the settlements of Terny and Yampolevka, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defenses.
In the Bakhmut direction, more than 20 attacks were repelled in the areas of the settlements of Belogorovka and Verkhnekamenka in the Lugansk region; Spornoe, Chasov Yar, Ivanovskoe, Stupochki, Klishchievka, Andreevka of the Donetsk region, where the occupiers, with the support of aviation, tried to improve the tactical situation.
In the Avdeevsky direction, two attacks were repelled in the areas of the settlements of Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye, Donetsk region, where the Russians tried to dislodge Ukrainian units from their occupied lines.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Defense Forces continue to contain the enemy in the areas of the settlements of Krasnogorovka, Georgievka, Konstantinovka, Novomikhailovka, Bolshaya Novoselka and Urozhainoye, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defense 19 times.
In the Orekhovsky direction, during the day, the enemy, with the support of aviation, made three unsuccessful attempts to attack the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of settlements Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region and north-west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy does not abandon his intention to dislodge Ukrainian units from their bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. Thus, during the day, five attacks were carried out on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Krynki, Kherson region.
During the day, units of the missile forces inflicted a defeat on the area where personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated, two artillery systems, a radar station, a radio electronics station and two enemy air defense systems.
Let us remind you that over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liquidated 670 occupiers. Since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian army has lost 445,040 soldiers.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/05/2024
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Dagestan, the court decided to take into custody three more people detained for terrorism. One of them is Russian, the other two are citizens of Tajikistan, the head of the press service of the Supreme Court of the republic, Zarema Mamaeva, said on April 4.
She said that the Russian citizen is also a native of Tajikistan. In Russia, all three joined the group - a structural unit of an international terrorist organization, the court representative noted.
“Having considered the materials, the court, by decisions of April 4, 2024, chose a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of detention for a period of 1 month 26 days, until June 1, 2024 inclusive,” the RIA Novosti agency quoted Mamaev as saying.
As Regnum reported, on April 3, Mamaeva informed about the arrest of two citizens of Tajikistan, detained on March 31 during the counter-terrorism operation. They were remanded in custody for two months by the Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala - until June 1, 2024. As the investigation found out, upon arriving in Russia, they joined a group that is part of an international terrorist organization. In the city of Kaspiysk, men stored illegally acquired weapons and ammunition.
On March 31, security forces detained three criminals in Kaspiysk and Makhachkala who were planning new terrorist attacks in Russia. Weapons, ammunition and a ready-to-use improvised explosive device were confiscated from them. One of the detainees admitted during interrogation that he took weapons to the terrorists who staged a terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow on March 22.
The Crocus City lot were Caucasus Emirate, ie. ISIS, as I recall.
According to the FSB, those detained in Dagestan were involved in financing the terrorist attack at Crocus: they transferred money to the perpetrators of the terrorist attack. They themselves planned to carry out an explosion in Kaspiysk.
[AFRICANEWS] **Pope Francis ...Argentine liberation theologist, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was elected pope in 2013. Rather than setting up shop in Avignon, where he belongs, the first Jesuit Pope chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse instead of the papal apartments. He is big on climate change, against consumerism, and in favor of throwing a blanket over homosexual activity (so to speak) within the clergy. He's not real sure about the Resurrection, about Christ's divinity, and a few other things that would have gotten him burned at the stake a few hundred years ago, but he's hot for a certain South American Earth Mother Goddess... renewed his call for a ceasefire in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.**During his general audience, the Pontiff of the Catholic Church expressed his "deep sorrow" at the death of volunteers from the NGO World Central Kitchen. Francis once again called for "access to humanitarian aid" for "exhausted and suffering civilians".
"Unfortunately, we continue to get sad news from the Middle East. I once again renew my firm request for the immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. I express my deep regret for the volunteers killed while they were involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza. I pray for them and their families, I renew my appeal so that the exhausted and suffering civilian population may be allowed to get access to humanitarian aid, and that the hostages are immediately released.....
In a speech released on Tuesday evening, Israel Defence Forces Commander Herzi Halevi stated that there was "no intention to harm" WCK volunteers in the attack that killed seven people in Gaza.
On the same day, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the killing of aid workers in Gaza was a "mistake" while the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell condemned the incident and called for "an investigation".
The number of volunteers killed in the Paleostinian enclave is now around 200. the deadliest ever crisis for humanitairian workers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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#3
Somebody decided to supplement his income. And you don't make much in the NG.
BTW, that part of the state is lousy with checkpoints. They put wide spots in the road to set them up, and move them around.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/05/2024 8:55
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[An Nahar] Hezbollah leader Sayyed His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has praised the resistance of Hamas, one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede, and the Paleostinians in a recorded televised speech during an early celebration of Quds day.
Nasrallah said that some are focusing on the losses and ignoring the resistance's achievements.
"We are working to win this war and to defeat our enemy," Nasrallah said after recorded comments from Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... .
Nasrallah praised the "resistance fronts" in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years. It produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. That's three statements. Only the first is subjective.... , and Iraq, the "supportive Iranian fronts", and the protesters supporting Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... around the world.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly six months ago, Hezbollah has stepped up attacks, leading to near daily cross-border exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah, which has a powerful arsenal of rockets and missiles, says its attacks on Israel are in support of the embattled residents in Gaza and Hamas.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels have also repeatedly targeted international shipping and U.S. forces in the Red Sea in recent months in what they portray as a blockade of Israel in response to the war in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] Instead, the number of attacks southwest of Donetsk increased from 721 in February to 806 in March.
Vera Perun
The number of registered Russian attacks across the front line in March this year was 9% less compared to February - it decreased from 2,340 to 2,190.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain.
"The number of registered attacks in the Avdiiv direction was a third of all assaults in February, when the city was occupied by Russian troops. But in March, it decreased to a quarter," the review says.
Thus, the number of attacks southwest of Donetsk increased from 721 in February to 806 in March, which is 38% of all attacks on the front line. But despite these efforts, Russia has not achieved any notable successes in this area, the British noted. The Russian Federation continues to try to occupy small settlements, including Novomykhailivka, Georgiivka, and Urozhaine.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/05/2024
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life,
#2
24/7 missile, drone attacks across Ukraine. Massive attacks by planes and by ships. Russian military supply of ammunition, rockets and soldiers, at all time high.
What has the West done right?. Why no efforts at peace talks. Send in your western troops. Russia will obliterate them. When the ground again firms up Russia will move in. Complete and total surrender. Western desk jockeys fight as if it is a gamer game. Inflated egos with no actual ground skills.
Iraqi resistance forces have launched attacks on a key "Israeli" airbase as well as the "Ashdod" in the central part of the occupied territories in support of Paleostinians in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, who are enduring a genocidal "Israeli" war.
The first strike used drones to hit the "Ramat David" Airbase — the "Israeli" entity’s northernmost outpost that houses warplanes and gunships.
The resistance noted that the attack was launched "in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Paleostinian civilians including children, women, and the elderly."
The Iraqi forces hit a "vital target" in "Ashdod" during the second attack, which was similarly conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Earlier on Wednesday, it struck the Haifa Airport in the northwestern part of the territories, asserting that it would continue to "destroy the enemy’s strongholds.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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Law enforcement agents investigating the suspected anthrax-laced letters sent to the judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Supreme Court ...the political football known as The Highest Court in the Land, home of penumbrae and emanations... revealed that most of the CCTV cameras around the post boxes were out of order when the envelopes were inserted into them, it emerged on Thursday.
On March 3, just a day after the Supreme Court of Pakistain took suo motu ...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means I saw what you did, you bastard... notice over the allegations of six IHC judges against intelligence agencies, the IHC chief justice among eight judges received suspected letters.
The CTD team is racing against time to collect facts and ascertain the chemical nature of the powdery substance after the eight IHC judges received "letters containing suspected anthrax powder along with a threatening message".
According to sources, the case of suspicious letters is being investigated by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Islamabad police and a report on the progress made so far has been communicated to the Registrars of the Supreme Court and the IHC.
Sources indicate that an examination of post boxes located within Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, is ongoing, with many CCTV cameras surrounding the post boxes found to be inoperative.
Islamabad police have expanded the scope of the investigation using alternative means, including questioning individuals working in shops and offices in the area of post boxes. Furthermore, all staff at the Satellite Town, Rawalpindi post office have been included in the inspection.
According to sources, the letters were sent by a woman named Resham without mentioning her address. They added that a staffer of a judge accidentally dropped the envelope containing the suspicious powdery substance and later felt extreme irritation in their eyes and burns on the skin around his lips.
Following the incident, Islamabad Inspector General (IG) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) police were summoned to the IHC. All the suspicious letters were handed over to the police for further investigation.
It is noteworthy that initially, eight judges of the Islamabad High Court received suspicious letter, later judges of the Lahore High Court and even judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistain also got similar mail.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
most of the CCTV cameras around the post boxes were out of order
But wasn't the video was backed up to the GoogleAmazonMicrosoft cloud?
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] "The Troubles" is released.
The game was financed by the state, allocating a rather modest 5 million rubles. (~ USD $50,000)
Maybe I'll see what happened this weekend.
Based on the videos, I got the following impressions.
Pros:
1. Graphics
2. Historical setting
3. Costumes
Cons:
1. Crazy combat.
2. Mediocre animations
3. Strange facial expressions of characters in dialogues.
The authors stated that they expected to sell 500,000 copies. So let's see if the overhyped "Smoot" can repeat the success of "Atomic Heart".
More from the game website (all in Russian):
[WARGM.ru] Now you can plunge into the historical adventures of boyar Yuri Miloslavsky in Russia in 1612 in the new role-playing game "Troubles" from the studio Cyberia Nova. The official release of the game for PC has already taken place, and it will try to become a worthy competitor to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A "good boyar"
Travel with the young boyar Yuri Miloslavsky to 1612 to fight enemy troops, bandits and wild animals, meet historical figures and overcome difficult trials.
You will have to explore impenetrable forests and swamps, penetrate caves full of traps, visit cities, complete story missions and face intrigue, treachery and betrayal.
“Troubles” is already available in the VK Play store at a price of 2,015 rubles. In addition, everyone can download the Time of Troubles project for free, which is a gaming and educational tool, as well as a kind of demo version of the game. USD $21.84 Biden bucks a copy.
System requirements for Troubles:
Minimum :
#3
I guess even the Russians look down on the Irish.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/05/2024 11:36
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#4
I was gonna say, I'll take a pass on the Irish Whisky flavored vodka.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/05/2024 11:48
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#5
Along the lines of AAA Gaming news, SBI and all that; apparently Julia Garner is cast as Silver Surfer.
I'm a Normie in comic books, I'd guess that Silver Surfer can take whatever form, but all my exposure is a male Silver Surfer. So to me, it looks like:
They must be getting ready to kick Col Gen. Gerasimov upstairs.
[Regnum] International terrorism remains a global threat to the world. This statement was made on April 4 at a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the CIS countries in Moscow by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense Valery Gerasimov.
At the same time, he emphasized that hotbeds of tension in various parts of the planet do not arise without external influence.
“International terrorism with the support of shadow sponsors still remains a global threat to the world,” Gerasimov said.
According to the head of the General Staff, in such conditions, challenges to the CIS states are becoming more and more real and diverse. This requires having well-equipped and trained armed forces, Gerasimov added.
As Regnum reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has experienced and knows what international terrorism is. He added that Russia will always feel the bitterness of the irreparable losses inflicted during the years of the fight against international terrorism.
At the same time, according to the head of state, the fight against terrorism cannot be carried out on the principle of collective responsibility, when old people, women, children and entire families also die.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, within the framework of the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, on March 31 submitted to the Ukrainian authorities a demand for the arrest and further extradition of those involved in terrorist attacks on Russian territory, including the head of the SBU Vasily Malyuk.
The department emphasized that the fight against international terrorism is the responsibility of every country, and demanded that the Kyiv regime immediately stop any support for terrorist activities and hand over all those responsible, as well as compensate the damage caused to the victims.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 27 that the Russian side had not received specific proposals from France to combat international terrorism. Paris should stop military support for Ukraine if it is interested in such a fight, the diplomat emphasized.
Western countries are destroying the foundation of strategic stability, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said on April 4 at a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the CIS countries in Moscow.
“Recent events indicate the consistent destruction by the West of the fundamental foundations of strategic stability,” he said.
He noted that the meeting of military leaders of the CIS countries is taking place against the backdrop of a rapidly changing military-political situation. Challenges to the Commonwealth countries are becoming more and more real, which obliges states to have well-equipped and trained armed forces, Gerasimov added.
As Regnum reported, Russia became the chairman of the CIS on January 1, 2024. As chairman, Moscow will work to strengthen cooperation in the military and border security fields. The concept of Russia's chairmanship in the CIS states that Moscow will also pay significant attention to the work on military-patriotic education.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:30 Through the operational lines of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC on April 4, as of 23:30, additional information was received about damage as a result of artillery attack by the Air Forces of the cities of the Republic: Donetsk (Kuibyshevsky district): - st. Vasilchenko, 18 – direct hit in a private residential building with subsequent fire; – st. Vasilchenko, 29 – private residential building. 21:30 Fights in the Kherson direction.
Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities in the Krynok region, tense confrontation remains between Russian units and the remaining forces of the Ukrainian formations. A group of UAF naval infantry is trying to persistently hold their positions despite the continuous artillery fire of the Russian Armed Forces and heavy losses among their personnel.
In this section of the front, Ukrainian formations actively use UAVs not only to carry out additional reconnaissance of the positions of the Russian Armed Forces; the group remaining in the populated area is supplied with the necessary equipment by air.
At the same time, the enemy does not abandon attempts to transfer reserves by swimming to the right bank of the Dnieper. Ukrainian formations are trying to cross the river mainly with several floating craft at the same time to land small groups of troops near Krynoki, but Russian units do not allow additional forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enter the peninsula by destroying the floating craft and personnel along the route.
The enemy periodically attempts counterattacks in order to expand the zone of control and regain previously lost lines; attempts at assault by Ukrainian formations are suppressed by the uninterrupted fire of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
At the same time, the engineering units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to build fortifications on their bank of the Dnieper, in order to minimize the risks associated with possible offensive actions in the event of a successful crossing of the Dnieper by Russian assault groups.
20:30 Our landing broke through to Chasov Yar!
Continuing the offensive from Artyomovsk, the advanced units of the 98th Ivanovo Airborne Division fought through the enemy’s defense lines near Chasov Yar and approached the outskirts of the city (they had not yet entered the city itself).
Meanwhile, the 11th Airborne Brigade has fought through the enemy defenses and is approaching the city from the south.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reports in its report that Russian troops, with the support of aviation, carried out a series of attacks in the Chasov Yar area.
Let us recall that by April 1, the Kostroma 331st Airborne Regiment approached 650 m to Chasov Yar, taking the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ support forces in the forest belt running from the eastern edge of the Deciduous Forest to the Stupki-Golubovskie 2 reserve. Since then, the guys were able to break through to the city, overcoming the remaining distance.
The enemy is trying to stop the advance of our troops, actively using drones and cluster munitions, and is also trying to counterattack, and there are fierce battles.
18:56 Statements by representatives of the “West”, “South”, “Center”, “East” and “Dnepr” groups on the progress of the special military operation (as of April 4, 2024) –video.
17:21 Front west of Avdievka -map.
The battles for Semyonovka and Berdychi continue, as well as battles on the near approaches to Umansky, where heavy oncoming battles are taking place (the enemy responds to our attacks with counterattacks).
16:40 Special military operation. Situation on April 4 –map.
15:25 The Lancets work for March 2024 –video.
Official selection from ZALA. 175 successful hits in a month. This is a record since the beginning of use.
In the 1st quarter of 2024, the following were hit by Lancets:
Tanks – 118 Armored fighting
vehicles – 135 Self-propelled
guns – 89
Towed artillery – 94
MLRS – 27
Air defense and radar systems – 14
At the moment, the Lancet is by far the best loitering ammunition of the war.
13:17 In two days, the air defense forces of the 41st Army shot down two planes and a helicopter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On the evening of April 3, in the Kramatorsk area, air defense crews of the 41st Army of the Central Military District shot down at least one Su-27 of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The destruction of this aircraft was confirmed by objective control means.
At the same time, according to some information, there were two planes in the sky in the Kramatorsk area, which were used by air defense systems. Both aircraft did not return to base. We assume that the second plane was also shot down by our fighters.
Today, the air defense forces of the 41st have also been slightly reduced, the already meager aircraft fleet of Ukraine, having shot down a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Netailovo area.
There is good news on earth too. Yesterday, artillerymen of the 41st Army destroyed the American M109 Paladin self-propelled gun and a towed gun with precise strikes.
12:11 Analysis results of a night raid by attack UAVs on enemy targets in Kharkov and the region.
That night, Russian troops carried out a massive kamikaze drone raid on enemy targets in Kharkov and the region. The targets of destruction were energy infrastructure facilities, the military-defense complex, and points of deployment of enemy forces and assets.
Coordinates: 49.5837583, 36.5213747
The territory of the Zmievskaya Thermal Power Plant was hit by UAV strikes. Two transformers caught fire on site and an oil tank was damaged.
Coordinates: 49.9716700, 36.1918201
Another target of the strikes was the location of the Lyut assault battalion, which was organized in the building of the Oktyabrsky police department. After the defeat, powerful detonation and combustion were observed at the site.
In addition, it is known that at least 20 personnel of the unit have been liquidated. This is where the State Emergency Service employees suffered.
Coordinates: 48.8964745, 36.2872420
In Lozovaya, the Lozova Forging and Mechanical Plant was hit by four attack UAVs.
LKMZ in Ukraine is known for its specialization in the production of armored vehicles and military equipment. This plant is of strategic importance for the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, as it supplies important components and systems for the Ukrainian army.
The enterprise's capacities have been improved to suit the capabilities and need for the repair of Western-style armored vehicles.
About 15 pieces of equipment were reported destroyed/damaged from the ground, most of which were M113 armored personnel carriers.
Colleagues from LPR1 also report the defeat of the enemy’s air defense system and radar on the territory of the Kharkov International Airport.
Unfortunately, there were consequences from the work of the Ukrainian air defense. The consequence of which was damage to a residential building on the street. Academician Bogomolets, 3.
11:30 Statement by the head of the press center of the “West” group -video.
Units of the West group of forces continue to carry out combat missions in the Kupyansk direction.
Three attacks by assault groups of the 60th Mechanized and 95th Airborne Assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repelled in the area of the village of Terny.
During the counterbattery fight, two 152mm D-20 howitzers were destroyed.
The operator of the Lancet loitering munition destroyed an American-made M777 artillery gun.
The group's air defense systems destroyed the Leleka-100 unmanned aerial vehicle in the Golikovo area.
Enemy losses in the Kupyansk direction amounted to up to 30 military personnel, three vehicles, four mortar crews, and an unmanned aerial vehicle.
10:31 Statement by the head of the press center of the Center group -video.
The Center group of troops continues to carry out combat missions in the Avdeevsky direction in the zone of a special military operation.
The coordinated actions of the group's units, with fire support from artillery and aviation, defeated the manpower and equipment of the formations of the 25th Airborne, 24th, 47th, 59th Mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Berdychi, Vodyanoye, Kirovo, Pervomaiskoye, Tonenkoye.
In total, during the day, fire strikes were carried out on 400 identified enemy targets, including 29 strong points and more than 100 field artillery positions.
The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to up to 300 military personnel. Two armored combat vehicles, three cars, an American-made M777 artillery gun, a 152mm D-20 gun, a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun, a 122mm D-30 howitzer, two unmanned aircraft control posts were destroyed, and two unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down.
09:54 Criminal Kyiv regimecontinuesto fire at the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from cannon artillery:
-- n.p. Bolshie Kopani four rounds;
-- n.p. Kairo four rounds;
-- n.p. Gladkovka three rockets;
-- n.p. Alyosha five rounds;
-- n.p. Sagi two rounds.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Kazachi Lagery, n.p. Dnepryany, n.p. Korsunka, n.p. Aleshki, firing a total of 17 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being determined.
09:28 Telegram channel «WarGonzo":
Frontline report for the morning 04/04/2024
– On the Zaporozhye Front, the LBS did not undergo significant changes. In Rabotino and north-west of the horse, oncoming battles using long-range weapons continue.
– On the Donetsk front, the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in Novomikhailovka continues. The Ukrainian garrison here is in a difficult situation and is forced to surrender positions, but completely leave the village. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have no plans yet. Also, the initiative remains with the Russian Armed Forces in Georgievka, where, as a result of assault operations, Russian troops have tactical successes.
In Pervomaisky, the Armed Forces of Ukraine still maintain their presence, but, apparently, there is not long to wait before the final loss of the settlement by Ukrainian troops. Fierce fighting continues.
In the Vodyanoye area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces counterattacked in order to prevent the advance of Russian troops to the north-west. There are oncoming battles.
In the Tonenkoye area, or rather, already on the approaches to Umanskoye, the Russian Armed Forces continue to push through the Ukrainian defense, moving closer and closer to the populated area, but these advances are not easy for the Russian troops. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are putting up serious resistance.
Fierce fighting continues on the outskirts of Semenovka and Berdychi. In this area, the LBS has not undergone major changes, but, apparently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will no longer be able to hold back Russian troops at this line for a long time.
– In the Artemovsky (Bakhmutsky) direction, Russian troops are not slowing down in their advance towards Chasov Yar. Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost a number of positions on the approaches to this settlement. We can expect the start of fighting in the city in the near future. However, the RF Armed Forces will in any case try to take the city from several sides, so the assault on the village itself. will not be fleeting. Long-range weapons are actively working.
08:54 Telegram channel “Fisherman":
Chronicle of a special military operation for April 3, 2024
– The Russian Armed Forces continue to strike at identified targets in the front-line zone of the Kharkov region and in the territory of the temporarily occupied part of the DPR, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the contrary, have reduced the intensity of artillery attack of the Russian border area.
– In the Seversky direction, positional battles are taking place on the approaches to the chalk quarry dump east of Belogorovka, as well as in the area of the filtration station. The enemy is building up a group of troops in the near rear, probably in case of a breakthrough in the defense.
– In the Artemovsky (Bakhmutsky) direction, Russian troops are advancing towards Chasov Yar from the eastern side, inflicting massive fire damage on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kanal microdistrict. There are also battles in the area of the Stupki-Golubovskie forest zone.
– In the Avdeevsky direction, clashes are noted at the Semenovka-Berdychi line, where the Russian Armed Forces are supported by rocket artillery. To the west of Tonenky, the Russian Armed Forces are attacking in the direction of Umansky.
– In the Zaporozhye direction, the enemy is equipping a second line of defense in the Orekhov area. Russian troops, in turn, actively and quite successfully use Lancets, including against Ukrainian tanks.
– In the Kherson direction, Ukrainian marines hold positions in Krynki. The group is supplied by air thanks to equipment dropped from drones. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces deployed more than 60 attack drones to the contact line.
08:06 Official summary of Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC:
A total of 53 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC.
Information was received about the death of one civilian. In addition, three civilians were injured of varying severity.
Two residential buildings were damaged.
A total of 32 attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded in the Donetsk direction.
A total of 21 attacks were recorded from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Gorlovka direction.
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 168 units of various ammunition.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/05/2024
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[AFRICANEWS] People in Uganda reacted with mixed views after the country’s Constitutional Court upheld Wednesday an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality".
The law in question defines "aggravated homosexuality" as cases of homosexual relations involving a minor and other categories of vulnerable people, or when the perpetrator is infected with HIV.
The court in the Ugandan capital Kampala rejected the petitioners' request to quash the law despite widespread condemnation from rights groups and others abroad.
President Yoweri Museveni ...President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote... signed the bill into law in May last year.
The law is supported by many in the East African country, where some see it as behaviour imported from abroad and not a sexual orientation.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2024
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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