03 World

Biden Set to Announce Parting Gift of $500 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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Joe Biden is set to announce a parting gift of $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The move is meant to give Kyiv “a stronger negotiating position” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to the AP.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in November that “every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20th” when Trump takes office.

The weapons package will reportedly be drawn from existing stockpiles under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program, and is expected to Biden’s final handout to Ukraine before he leaves office.

The announcement is expected during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s final trip to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of about 50 partner nations that Austin brought together months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to coordinate weapons support.

The meeting on Thursday is the 25th and potentially last gathering of the U.S.-led group, as the participating countries wait to see whether it will be continued under Trump.

Fani Willis Owes Judicial Watch a Boatload of Money– townhall.com
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A Fulton County court has ordered anti-Trump DA Fani Willis to pay Judicial Watch thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses for flouting the state’s public records law.

BREAKING: The Superior Court in Fulton County, GA, issued an order granting $21,578 “attorney’s fees and costs” in the open records lawsuit for communications Willis had with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee (1/3). https://t.co/qcVL9VTlfT

— Judicial Watch ⚖️ (@JudicialWatch) January 7, 2025

In December, the same Superior Court found that the Fulton County district attorney violated Georgia’s Open Records Act (ORA) in a lawsuit brought by the government watchdog group. Under court order, Willis then confessed to wrongly withholding records that Judicial Watch had repeatedly requested.

“The ORA is not hortatory; it is mandatory,” Judge Robert McBurney declared in Friday’s five-page filing finding Willis financially liable. “Non-compliance has consequences. One of them can be [financial] liability,” McBurney chastised, like covering court costs.

Blinken says Trump’s push for US to take control of Greenland is ‘not going to happen’– abcnews.go.com
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PARIS — Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is advising the world “not to waste a lot of time” on what President-elect Donald Trump has been saying about Greenland.

Trump made clear again this week that he’d like the semiautonomous territory of Denmark to come under U.S. control and said he would not rule out the use of military force to make that happen.

“We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said.

But Blinken said Wednesday that the incoming president’s ambitions are unlikely to amount to anything more than talk.

“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one,” the senior U.S. diplomat said during a stop in Paris for meetings.

Trump nominees face confirmation delays with inauguration approaching– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Senate Republicans are falling behind schedule on President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees as administrative delays threaten to push back the date of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in on Jan. 20 or shortly thereafter. But paperwork holdups, including slower-than-expected FBI background checks, could get in the way of that time frame.

The delays have sparked tensions in the Senate as Democrats accuse Republicans of needlessly fast-tracking the process.

UK Parliament Liberals Block National Inquiry Into Migrant Grooming Gangs– americanactionnews.com
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The United Kingdom’s Labour Party blocked a Conservative Party amendment that would have forced a nationwide inquiry into the decades-long epidemic of migrant grooming gangs.

The Conservatives proposed an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would compel the government to launch a national investigation into the grooming gangs that have terrorized the nation for decades, according the House of Commons records. The amendment was voted down by 364 to 111, with Labour and Conservatives voting down party lines.

“Bang on from Kemi Badenoch – Starmer’s argument against an inquiry is that government can’t do two things at once – it can’t implement previous actions and have an inquiry at the same time – that’s just obviously nonsense,” Niel O’Brien, Conservative party MP, said on X.

 

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The EU will be without cheap Russian gas following a decision by Ukraine to no longer allow Russia’s gas transferal to occur on Ukraine soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.” The “Brotherhood pipeline” shutdown will allegedly cause Russian gas giant Gazprom more than $6 billion yearly.

EU on brink of gas war after Ukraine cuts off Russia’s £5bn supply | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Ukraine will no longer allow Russian gas to pass through en route to European neighbours in a move that will hurt both the Kremlin and EU states dependent on Putin’s energy supply.

On January 1, the 2019 deal, which saw gas transit through Ukraine to states like Slovakia and Austria, expired.

President Zelensky heralded the move as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats”, while his energy minister branded it “historic”.

The closure of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod, which is also known as the Brotherhood pipeline, will cost Russian gas company Gazprom around £5bn a year – a bitter blow for Putin’s creaking war economy.

However, it’s not just Russia that is reeling following the expiration of the gas deal. Several European states are heavily dependent on Russian gas transported through Ukraine.

Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his intention to resign as Canada’s Prime Minister as well as leader of the Liberal Party. He intends on serving until the party selects a new leader to replace him. The Liberal Party is facing an uphill challenge holding on to power in the upcoming election, which happens “on or before October 20, 2025.”

The Prime Minister claimed, “If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election — well, probably many regrets that I will think of. But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation. What happens now? – CNN
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he intends to step down from the top job and as the leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party once a new party leader is chosen.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader,” the 53-year-old leader told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Canada’s parliament will be suspended until March 24 while a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, he also said.

The dust has not settled in the recent events in South Korea that has seen one President under siege, refusing to submit to being arrested after being impeached, and another one also getting impeached, though no arrest warrant was issued for him, so far. Meanwhile, citizens are marching in protest of the current government, alleging the China-friendly leftist government “won” the election by cheating.

South Korea’s Political Crisis Deepens Amid Chinese Influence and U.S. Military Concerns– warroom.org
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There is a rapidly escalating situation, South Korea is witnessing a political crisis that could have far-reaching implications for the region, as protests and political unrest intensify.

In a Saturday WarRoom conversation between Steve Bannon and retired Colonel John Mills, the two highlighted the dangerous convergence of internal political turmoil and external Chinese interference that threatens the stability of one of the U.S.’s most trusted allies in East Asia.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing a political and social storm as thousands take to the streets in opposition to his government. Demonstrators have called for an end to martial law, but a significant portion of the protesters, according to Bannon and Mills, are reportedly Chinese nationals who have been flown in to incite further unrest. “One-third to two-thirds of these protests are Chinese,” Mills claimed, raising alarms about China’s growing influence in South Korea’s internal affairs.

The political landscape in South Korea has become increasingly divided. The left-wing Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, has mounted a significant challenge to President Yoon’s leadership, accusing him of authoritarianism. Lee, who was recently convicted of malfeasance, has been a vocal critic of U.S. military presence in South Korea, calling American forces an “occupation force” and pushing for the removal of THAAD missile systems. His anti-U.S. stance aligns with China’s broader geopolitical goals, as Beijing seeks to expand its regional influence.

In response to mounting political pressure, President Yoon declared martial law on December 3rd, 2023, a highly controversial move. However, as Bannon and Mills pointed out, Yoon’s decision was strategic. The martial law declaration allowed him to launch a raid on the National Election Commission, which, according to Yoon’s government, was necessary to investigate suspected Chinese interference in South Korea’s elections. While legally justified, this move has sparked widespread outrage and fear of authoritarianism, fueling the protests.

Venezuelan opposition leader says his son-in-law has been kidnapped in Caracas – WETM – MyTwinTiers.com
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 Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was kidnapped Tuesday in Venezuela’s capital.

González, who was traveling in the United States, said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while on his way to drop off González’s two grandchildren at school in Caracas.

In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.” He did not say what happened to his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren.

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The EU is nervous that Elon Musk’s social media app, x, will give Europeans freedom of expression outlets that that consider too dangerous for the little people to have. The European Commission is looking to craft a narrative that will allow it to target an American, Elon Musk, for future potential arrest, and his American app to be banned in Europe.

EU considers legal action against Musk over election interference – The Telegraph
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Brussels is considering punishing Elon Musk over his alleged interference in the German elections.

The European Commission is under mounting pressure to use its legal powers over social media platforms to rein in the tech billionaire ahead of next month’s ballot.

There are fears across the European Union that Mr Musk is trying to embolden the far-Right and peddling pro-Kremlin propaganda.

One of the chief concerns is that the richest man in the world has tweaked the algorithm of his social network X to deliberately push his posts to the top of users’ timelines.

In recent weeks, Mr Musk has declared Alternative for Germany (AfD) the “last vestige of hope” for Germany, as well as inviting Alice Weidel, the hard-Right party’s candidate for chancellor, for a one-on-one interview hosted on his platform ahead of the Feb 23 ballot.

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Guinea’s junta faces protests after missing a deadline for a return to democracy – The Associated Press
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 Parts of Guinea’s capital have been on lockdown as civil society and opposition groups in the West African nation protested the ruling junta’s missed deadline to launch a return to democracy, with the U.S. calling for clear timelines to hold long-delayed elections.

Meanwhile, a court jailed opposition leader Aliou Bah for two years after he was charged with “insulting” the junta leader following his arrest in December.

Bah, who leads the Liberal Democratic Movement, is one of the few critics of the junta who has not gone into exile as pressure grows on perceived dissent and independent media. “It’s a sad day for freedom of expression (and) a blow to Guinean democracy,” said Bah’s lawyer, Antoine Pépé Lama.

Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline.

Standoff in Seoul ends as officers suspend attempt to arrest President Yoon– www.euronews.com
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It’s the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralysed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month.

South Korean authorities have suspended an attempt to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and left his residence in Seoul after an almost six-hour standoff with security forces.

The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service blocked them from entering Yoon’s residence due to concerns about their safety.

The agency expressed “serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process by law.”

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Taiwan accuses China of damaging submarine cable off its coast – FT – RBC-Ukraine
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Taiwan said a Chinese vessel had damaged an underwater internet cable off the island’s northern coast. This led to a temporary disruption of communication, the Financial Times reports.

According to the agency, the cable was damaged on January 3 near the port of Keelung. There, the cargo ship Shunxing39, registered under the flag of Cameroon, probably damaged the submarine cable, which is part of the Trans-Pacific Express Cable System.

Despite the fact that the vessel belongs to Jie Yang Trading Limited, a Hong Kong-registered company, its director is Guo Wenjie, a Chinese citizen. Taiwan believes that this incident may be part of China’s strategy to sever the island’s external communications.

As Trump eyes Greenland, Danish king makes it bigger on his coat of arms – The Washington Post
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Denmark’s king has unveiled a new royal coat of arms that more prominently features Greenland, as President-elect Donald Trump again floats the idea of the United States buying the Danish territory, a proposal that disrupted relations with Copenhagen during his first term in office.

King Frederik X issued a declaration in December to change the royal coat of arms for the first time in over 50 years, the Danish royal household said in a statement on Jan. 1. The new design, which replaces the one Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe II, established in June 1972, “strengthens the prominence of the Commonwealth in the royal coat of arms,” it said.

The bottom-left quadrant of the shield at the center of the coat of arms previously featured three crowns representing the union of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, as well as symbols of the two parts of the Danish Commonwealth: a polar bear for Greenland and a ram for the Faroe Islands. In the new coat of arms, the crowns have been removed, an

Why South Korean protesters are using U.S. flags and a pro-Trump slogan – The Washington Post
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U.S. flags, “Stop the Steal” and the Virginia state motto are finding a home in a political battle halfway around the world from Washington, as supporters and critics of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol invoke familiar American political symbols of freedom and defiance.

As investigators closed in on Yoon on Friday, attempting to detain him in relation to insurrection charges, his supporters waved American flags, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and held signs reading “Stop the Steal,” a slogan borrowed from supporters of President-elect Donald Trump who deny the results of the 2020 election, which Trump lost.

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Biden Beefing up U.S. Military Presence in Kurdish Syria– www.breitbart.com
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Multiple reports from northern Syria on Thursday indicated the U.S. military is reinforcing its presence in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava, potentially building a new base in the city of Kobani.

The regional outlet Kurdistan 24 reported on Thursday that “a convoy of 50 trucks carrying Bremer walls entered Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-controlled areas in northeastern Syria (Rojava) on Thursday.” Citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a non-governmental organization (NGO), Kurdistan 24 reported that the convoy was headed to the Kurdish city of Kobani, on the Turkish border.

“Sources from the observatory indicated that the delivery is part of ongoing efforts by US forces to reinforce existing bases and establish a new military facility in Kobani,” Kurdistan 24 reported. “Reliable SOHR sources have confirmed that excavation and construction work is expected to begin on Friday, with additional reinforcements anticipated.”

The independent news outlet Iran International separately reported on Thursday, citing news sources tied to the SDF, that the U.S. “coalition” against the Islamic State was “constructing a military base in Kobani.” The SDF-linked news outlets also confirmed sightings of the construction materials convoy heading to the city.

Another Middle East news outlet, Shafaq, also reported on Thursday that the convoy was carrying reinforcements to SDF-controlled areas, describing it as a convoy associated with “US forces.”

“The reinforcements reportedly included 14 cargo planes carrying military equipment and soldiers, along with 233 military vehicles comprising trucks, armored vehicles, and troop carriers,” Shafaq reported.

The U.S. military maintains operations in Syria intended to contain the resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist organization, which once boasted a “caliphate” headquartered in northern Raqqa. The “caliphate” was destroyed largely by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of militias led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ). The U.S. government collaborates closely with the SDF to contain ISIS activity and helps it maintain prisons in which thousands of suspected Islamic State jihadis and their families remain, often rejected for repatriation by their home countries.

The situation in Syria remains chaotic following the collapse of the over 50-year-old Assad family regime in December. The al-Qaeda offshoot militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) conquered Damascus on December 7, prompting Iran-friendly dictator Bashar Assad to flee to Russia. HTS currently controls the Islamist “interim” government of Syria and has begun negotiations with the Kurdish north to address the existence of an essentially autonomous Kurdish zone in the country. While the SDF did not maintain especially friendly relations with Assad, many members of the YPG and all-female YPJ are fighting to establish a sovereign Kurdistan carved partially out of Syria, placing them at odds with HTS. At press time, HTS leaders have insisted that they will give Kurds some power in their government as an indigenous Syrian group.

While the civil war that began in 2011 to overthrow Assad has concluded, the SDF remains embroiled in a conflict with another militia, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). Following the surprise attack on Aleppo by HTS in late November, which resulted in the rapid collapse of Assad’s military presence there, the SNA announced a campaign called “Operation Dawn of Freedom” to destroy the SDF. The Turkish government considers the SDF a terrorist organization indistinguishable from the U.S.-designated terror group the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey’s years-long onslaught against the U.S.-allied SDF has caused longstanding tensions between the two NATO allies.

HTS taking over Syria has not stopped “Operation Dawn of Freedom,” nor has the SDF announcing it seeks to work with HTS to establish peace in the country. HTS is not directly associated with the SNA but maintains friendly ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who for years called for the overthrow of Assad and openly cheered for his demise in December.

As a result of “Operation Dawn of Freedom,” the SDF has said it has almost completely stopped all anti-ISIS operations. The commander of the SDF, Gen. Mazloum Abdi, told the British Sky News agency days after Assad fled the country that anti-ISIS activities had “halted” – not because he had chosen to stop them, but because the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces made them impossible.

“ISIS is now stronger in the Syrian desert,” Abdi said. “Previously, they were in remote areas and hiding, but now they have greater freedom of movement since they face no issues with other groups and are not engaged in conflict with them.”

“In the areas under our control, their activities have also increased. Just a few days ago, three members of the Internal Security Forces were killed near al Hassakah in an ISIS operation,” he observed.

Abdi warned that SDF-run prisons containing Islamic State terrorists were in significant jeopardy as a result of the Turkish attack.

The SDF prisons are believed to house around 10,000 Islamic State terrorists. Another 40,000 people, families of the terrorists, remain in camps in Syrian Kurdistan. Efforts to repatriate them have had minimal success.

The Turkish government urged the world on Thursday to take control of the prisons away from the SDF.

“The Syrian government should urgently take over the security of the camps and prisons, and if this is not possible, Turkey is ready to provide any support it can on this matter,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan asserted. Like the Islamic State, the current Syrian government is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

Fidan demanded the prisoners return home.

“These detainees in camps and prisons must be repatriated by their respective countries,” the foreign minister said. “Keeping them here indefinitely without subjecting them to any judicial process and without any plan or agenda for their future has turned into a significant crisis in the region.”

Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.

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Hamas stands by hostage release terms as Trump pushes for deal by Jan. 20 – National– globalnews.ca
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Hamas stood by its demand on Tuesday that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages, and said U.S. president-elect Donald Trump was rash to say “all hell will break out” unless they go free by his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Officials from the Islamist group and Israel have been holding talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the most intensive effort for months to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of 100 hostages that remain captive in Gaza.

The outgoing U.S. administration has called for a final push for a deal before Joe Biden leaves office, and many in the region now view Trump’s inauguration as an unofficial deadline.

“If (the hostages are) not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said Tuesday at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

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“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”

 


Tel Aviv protesters rally against Netanyahu, demand efforts on hostage deal with Hamas

 

Trump is dispatching his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for additional talks. Witkoff said real progress has been made.

“The red lines he’s put out there — that’s driving this negotiation,” Witkoff told reporters while standing next to Trump.

But with the clock ticking, both sides accuse the other of blocking a deal by adhering to conditions that torpedoed all previous peace efforts for more than a year.

Hamas says it will free its remaining hostages only if Israel agrees to end its military offensive and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end its assault until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.

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“Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of the hostages,” the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, Eden Bar Tal, told a briefing with reporters, saying Israel was fully committed to reaching a deal.

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Hamas official Osama Hamdan, who held a news conference in Algiers, said Israel was to blame for undermining all efforts to reach a deal.

While he said he would not give details about the latest round of negotiations, he reiterated the Hamas conditions of “a complete end to the aggression and a full withdrawal from lands the occupation invaded.”

Commenting on Trump’s threat that there would be “hell” to pay unless all hostages were freed before the inauguration, Hamdan said: “I think the U.S. president must make more disciplined and diplomatic statements.”

 


At least 70 killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza amid ongoing ceasefire talks

 

Israel has sent a team of mid-ranking officials to Qatar for talks brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Some Arabic media reports said David Barnea, the head of Mossad, who has been leading negotiations, was expected to join them. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not comment.

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In one notable step towards a deal, a Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday the group had cleared a list submitted by Israel of 34 hostages who could be freed in the initial phase of a truce, alongside Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The list included female Israeli soldiers, plus elderly, female and minor-aged civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had so far received no confirmation about whether those on its list were still alive.

 

Israel keeps up airstrikes in Gaza

Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to Hamas health officials in the enclave. The assault was launched after Hamas fighters stormed Israeli territory in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 24 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medics said, as the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory urged international donors to immediately provide fuel to run generators and maintain medical services.

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One of those strikes killed four people in a house in Gaza City and six were killed in separate strikes across the enclave, medics said.

 


UN report slams regular Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals

 

Later on Tuesday, an Israeli strike on a tent in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed four children and eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia in the north, medics said.

Additionally, an Israeli strike on a car in Khan Younis killed two people, medics and civil emergency service officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those strikes.

It said 240 Palestinians its forces had detained in a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza last month had provided “substantial intelligence.”

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The military released footage of the interrogation of a purported Hamas militant who detailed how militants “operated from the hospital area” and transferred weapons to and from it.

Hamas and the Gaza health ministry deny any armed presence at the hospital.

—With additional files from the Associated Press


How Trump Can Deter Red China From Ransacking Taiwan– thefederalist.com
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It’s no secret by now that Joe Biden’s presidency has ushered in a more unstable geopolitical environment. From Eastern Europe to the Middle East, the lack of effective and competent U.S. leadership has given America’s worst adversaries the confidence to act upon their destabilizing agendas — chief among them being Red China.

Throughout the past four years, the Middle Kingdom has significantly upped its aggressive behavior toward the U.S. and its allies in the Indo-Pacific. This has notably included deploying hostile military exercises and other “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan, which Beijing views as Chinese territory and has threatened to take by force, if necessary.

On Friday, Taiwanese authorities reported that a Chinese vessel cut an undersea internet cable connected to the island, a maneuver used by the communist nation in the Baltic Sea in November. According to The Wall Street Journal, the apparent act of sabotage caused “only minimal disruption of service but [sent] a message about the vulnerability of the island and its internet.”

The incident occurred days before Taiwan’s National Security Bureau revealed the island received double the number of cyberattacks from last year, averaging 2.4 million attacks per day. Most of these attacks, the bureau noted, came from China.

Michigan to Chop Down over 400 Acres of Trees to Fight ‘Global Warming’ with Chinese Solar Panels– slaynews.com
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Officials in Democrat-controlled Michigan are planning to chop down over 400 acres of trees in the state’s forestland to supposedly fight “global warming.”

A 420-acre swath of state forestland will be cleared to make way for a Chinese solar farm near Gaylord, a top state official confirmed to MLive.

The deal is under a lease agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Officials with the DNR recently assessed 1,200 acres of public trust land in Otsego County near a major power transmission line to decide whether it was suitable for solar arrays.

Agency leaders ultimately decided to lease 35% of that land to accompany other adjacent solar projects already in the works.

This comes as the DNR faces dwindling revenues from hunting and fishing licenses.

Panama Responds to President Trump’s Refusal to Rule Out Using Force to Take Back the Canal– wltreport.com
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Earlier today during an emergency press conference, President Trump was asked to shut down the idea of using military or economic force in order to secure Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Here was his response: