China has upgraded a number of its submarines to be able to do something they couldn’t before, track American carriers because now they are no longer detectable by American sonar surveillance. U.S. Defense “experts” claim that even if the subs can track the carriers, they couldn’t execute an effective attack on them. However, the subs can provide intel to assets that CAN strike the carriers.
China’s Submarines Can Track (And Sink) Navy Aircraft Carriers – The National Interest Online Source Link Excerpt:
While China’s naval capabilities do not yet match the U.S., its ability to track American carriers, as seen in incidents near Japan in 2015, is a growing concern.
-In the past, Chinese submarines were noisy and easy to detect, but recent investments have modernized its fleet, potentially making it more capable of tracking U.S. vessels.
-Despite this, U.S. carriers are highly protected by multiple defensive layers, including advanced Virginia-class submarines and anti-submarine sensors. Even if a Chinese submarine were to shadow a carrier, executing an attack remains unlikely due to the carrier’s robust defensive architecture…
Back in 2015, a Chinese submarine closely tracked an American aircraft carrier near the coast of Japan. The Chinese Kilo-class fast attack sub shadowed USS Ronald Reagan for more than 12 hours in what was considered to be “more than a brief encounter,” according to officials.
Beijing claimed that the American vessel was sailing in Chinese waters. The incident was reminiscent of an encounter in 2006, when a Song-class submarine surfaced undetected within torpedo range of the Kitty Hawk carrier.
A review of the Ukraine War in October reveals Ukraine is losing the war badly. Russia took 27 settlements in October alone. The failing war effort by Ukraine is beginning to trickle down to the Ukrainian people, who are losing confidence in their leaders that they can deliver the victory they were promised.
Ukrainian deputy Anny Skorokhod admitted that the number of Ukrainian desertions has hit 100,000, with an average of 900 Ukrainian soldiers deserting per day. Retired Colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Oleg Starikov claimed “… the Armed Forces of Ukraine are experiencing a tactical crisis in many areas of the SMO zone. I am now showing the real situation that is happening. The real crisis was in one direction, and now – in many.”
BITTER AWAKENING: Ukrainians and the MSM Start To Acknowledge Dire Situation in the Front, as Sweeping Russian Forces Take 27 Settlements in October | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com Source Link Excerpt:
The sweeping offensive by the Russian Federation forces is taking the Ukrainian army to a breaking point for lack of human resources, artillery shells, tanks, planes, drones, and missiles.
But mostly, lack of men.
Russia has captured over 700 square miles in Ukraine since August – and that is a reality that is starting to be openly discussed by the Ukrainians themselves and is also beginning to reach the MSM.
Moscow troops conquered a total of 27 settlements just in the month of October – I checked: Vishnevoye, Verkhnekamenskoye, Ugledar, Zhelannoye Vtoroye, Grodovka, Zolotaya Niva, Zoryanoye Pervoye, Ostrovskoye, Mikhailovka, Levadnoye, Krasny Yar, Nevskoye, Maksimilyanovka, Zoryanoye, Novosadovoye, Nikolaevka, Alexandropol, Izmailovka, Tsukurino, Katerinovka, Gornyak, Dobrovolye, Selidovo, Krugliakovka, Yasnaya Polyana, Leonidovka, Novoukrainka, and Shakhtyorkoye.
While this may look like a meaningless list of foreign names with no significance, it stands to reason that it was a LOT of places, between villages and cities, as the steamroller proceeds unabated by the defenses.
An election in Ghana on December 7 could replace the current ruling party, which would be a relief to the ruling party as it almost lost power before the election. The Speaker of the Parliament, Alban Bagbin, declared four seats vacant after sitting members running for office announced party shifts. The move would have put the ruling party in the minority, but the country’s Supreme Court shot it down.
Ghana’s Supreme Court restores ruling party’s parliamentary majority ahead of Dec. 7 election – ABC News Source Link Excerpt:
ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana’s Supreme Court restored the ruling party’s majority in the parliament on Tuesday ahead of the Dec. 7 election, with an order that the speaker’s declaration of four seats as vacant was unconstitutional.
Last month, two members of parliament from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and one from the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) announced that they would run as independent candidates in the election, while an independent candidate joined the NPP.
The Speaker of the Parliament Alban Bagbin declared their seats vacant, arguing that the constitution does not allow MPs to defect. The parliament was indefinitely adjourned after the declaration.
Bagbin’s decision had shifted the parliamentary majority to the NDC, giving it one seat more than the outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP’s 135.
The Supreme Court’s ruling restores the ruling NPPs slim majority of 138 seats, including one independent who leans towards the NPP, against 137 for the opposition NDC.
It appears the Militant Socialist Movement in Mauritius is being rejected by the voters, a fact that the current PM and head of the movement has acknowledged. PM Pravind Jugnauth told reporters “The population has decided to choose another team. I wish good luck to the country.”
Mauritius’ prime minister says his ruling coalition is set for a ‘huge’ election defeat– abcnews.go.com Source Link Excerpt:
JOHANNESBURG — Mauritius’ ruling coalition is set for a “huge defeat” following Sunday’s parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told reporters Monday, acknowledging the rejection of his Militant Socialist Movement even as vote-counting continued.
Jugnauth, in office since 2017, had been seeking another five-year term in the Indian Ocean island nation, but his government faced corruption allegations after recordings of politicians and business people were leaked online.
The Alliance for Change coalition, led by former prime minister Navin Ramgoolam, appeared poised for victory. They had no immediate comment.
“The population has decided to choose another team. I wish good luck to the country,” Jugnauth said.
Even before President Trump won the 2024 election, Israel was signaling it was not in the mood to entertain calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Now, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, who replaced former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after Prime Minister Netanyahu fired him for the second time, is doubling down.
He is claiming Hezbollah has been defeated, but more work needs to be done in Lebanon to secure the victory, meaning no ceasefire proposal will be considered until the work is done. Katz said of the decision not to pursue a ceasefire that Israel had learned its lessons and “Now it is our job to continue to put pressure on order to bring about the fruits of that victory.”
Israel Defence Minister Katz: In Lebanon there will be no ceasefire, will continue to hit Hezbollah with full force – Reuters Source Link Excerpt:
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said on X on Tuesday that during a meeting with military officials, he reiterated that Israel will continue hitting Hezbollah with full force and that there will be no ceasefire.
It seems the current WEF-appointed Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, may find dealing with President Trump difficult following revelations the globalist pushed the lie that President Trump won in 2016 thanks to Russian collusion. The statement was made well after the hoax had been exposed. That date was March 17, 2024, when he said, “Trump and his dependence on Russian services is no longer up for debate today. This is not my assumption, it is the result of an investigation by American services.”
He also claimed Trump was “recruited by Russian intelligence service 30 years ago.” Poland appears to be another European country, including the UK, whose anti-Trump regime might need changed… for the good of the whole, of course.
Polish Prime Minister Pushed Trump-Russia Collusion Hoax– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is facing a credibility crisis after denying he ever attacked President-elect Donald Trump as a Russian agent, despite videotaped evidence of him saying just that in March 2023.
“Trump and his dependence on Russian services is no longer up for debate today. This is not my assumption, it is the result of an investigation by American services,” Tusk said at a public meeting in Bytom, Poland, on March 17, 2023. He further claimed that an investigation showed Trump had been “recruited by Russian intelligence services 30 years ago” and lambasted his opposing party as being too friendly with Trump.
The outlandish allegation that Donald Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election was an elaborate hoax invented and pushed by the Hillary Clinton campaign, intelligence community officials, and compliant media. The claim was shown to be false with the April 2019 release of the so-called Mueller Report. A special counsel office fully staffed with Democrat operatives was unable to find a single American who had colluded with Russia in the lead-up to the 2016 election, much less Trump himself. People who opposed Trump’s foreign policy crafted and spread the lie to harm Trump’s reputation and make it difficult for him to govern.
“Tygodnik Solidarność” journalist Monika Rutke asked Tusk at a press conference whether he still believed Trump was a Russian agent. Tusk sidestepped the question and attacked Minister Mariusz Błaszczak from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) for his suggestion that Tusk’s government was too hostile to Trump for an effective partnership. Again, Rutke asked Tusk whether he still believed Trump was a Russian agent.
Germany’s current PM Olaf Scholz is effectively a man without a government after his coalition government collapsed in the face of increasing outrage from Germans unsatisfied with what seems like an intentional sabotage of their country in the interests of globalists, not German citizens.
The collapse came less than 24 hours after President Trump won re-election. Scholz fired finance minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party after economic talks collapsed. Calls for a vote of confidence against Schultz, in addition to calls for Shultz to resign, have only increased even after a date was set for new election on February 23.
Germany facing snap election as Olaf Scholz loses grip on power – thetimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
Olaf Scholz has rejected a demand to trigger the end of his chancellorship this week but said he was open to holding a confidence vote before Christmas, setting the stage for a snap election early next year.
Germany’s leader is under pressure from all sides to bring a swift resolution to the country’s political crisis as Europe struggles to muster a coherent response to the imminent presidency of Donald Trump.
Scholz’s three-party “traffic-light” coalition fell to pieces less than 24 hours after the US election last week when he fired the finance minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) after talks over the economy broke down.
As a result, the coalition between his Social Democrats party (SDP), the Greens and the neo-liberal FDP no longer holds a majority.
Scholz’s hope had initially been to buy time by announcing a vote of confidence in the Bundestag — the established mechanism for removing a sitting chancellor — on January 15.
Germany Sets Election Date for February 23rd Following Coalition Collapse – eutoday.net Source Link Excerpt:
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Germany will head to the polls on February 23rd. The announcement comes after the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the opposition reached an agreement on Tuesday, less than a week after the ruling coalition administration disintegrated, throwing the government into a state of uncertainty.
With the coalition’s collapse, Germany now faces a period of rapid political realignment as parties prepare for a potentially transformative election.
The Collapse of the Coalition Government
The sudden disbanding of the coalition government marks a significant political rupture in German politics. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had led a coalition formed by his own Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), faced challenges that proved insurmountable.
The coalition, in place since 2021, had struggled with internal divisions and disagreements over policies on energy, social welfare, and defence spending, all of which worsened as global issues impacted the country’s economy and stability.
Disputes on climate policies, inflationary pressures, and military funding created deep fissures within the coalition, with each party unwilling to compromise on core issues that reflected their values and electoral promises.
Olaf Scholz could face pre-Christmas confidence vote after collapse of his coalition – theconversation.com Source Link Excerpt:
Germany could be heading into an election even sooner than expected after chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that he may be willing to make concessions to bring forward a confidence vote already scheduled for January 15.
The vote, which is presumed to become a trigger for an election, was called for the new year after Scholz’s coalition government collapsed. But he has now indicated that he may concede to pressure from other parties to hold the confidence vote before Christmas. In a TV interview on November 10, he said: “If everyone sees it that way, it’s not a problem”.
When Scholz, as expected, loses the confidence vote, parliament would almost certainly be dissolved within 21 days and elections held within a further 60 days. If the original timetable held, the expectation is Germany would vote in late March. If the vote takes place before Christmas, the election will take place even sooner, possibly mid-February.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian democratic (CDU/CSU) opposition, is leading the charge for an earlier vote. The CDU/CSU is comfortably ahead in the polls and has promised to enable key legislation to pass in exchange for an immediate vote. Scholz has so far resisted and seems keen to have time to gear up for the election campaign. But he may be heading towards compromise.
For the first time since 1955, Japan’s ruling party no longer has the majority of seats in its parliament. The coalition government in power today faces increasing threats to allow a new party to form a new coalition government.
However, the Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, remains defiant, saying “We cannot allow not even a moment of stagnation as we face very difficult situations both in our security and economic environments.”
Japan’s government in flux after election gives no party majority– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
The make-up of Japan’s future government was in flux on Monday after voters punished Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s scandal-tainted ruling coalition in a weekend election, leaving no party with a clear mandate to lead the world’s fourth-largest economy.
The uncertainty sent the yen currency to a three-month low as analysts prepared for days, or possibly weeks, of political wrangling to form a government and potentially a change of leader.
That comes as the country faces economic headwinds, a tense security situation fueled by an assertive China and nuclear-armed North Korea, and a week before U.S. voters head to the polls in another unpredictable election.
“We cannot allow not even a moment of stagnation as we face very difficult situations both in our security and economic environments,” a defiant Ishiba said at a news conference Monday, pledging to continue as prime minister.
Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito took 215 seats in the lower house of parliament, down from 279 seats, as voters punished the incumbents over a funding scandal and a cost-of-living crunch. Two cabinet ministers and Komeito’s leader, Keiichi Ishii, lost their seats.
The biggest winner of the night, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), had 148 seats, up from 98 previously, but also still well short of the 233 majority.
As mandated by the constitution, the parties now have 30 days to figure out a grouping that can govern, and there remains uncertainty over how long Ishiba – who became premier less than a month ago – can survive after the drubbing. Smaller parties also made gains and their role in negotiations could prove key.
“It seems unlikely that he (Ishiba) will survive to lead a new government as prime minister … though it is possible he could stay on as caretaker,” said Tobias Harris, founder of Japan Foresight, a political risk advisory firm.
CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda has said he would work with other parties to try and oust the incumbents, though analysts see this as a more remote possibility.
The LDP has ruled Japan for almost all of its post-war history and the result marked its worst election since it briefly lost power in 2009 to a precursor of the CDPJ.
SCANDAL-TAINTED
Ishiba, picked in a close-fought race to lead the LDP late last month, called the snap poll a year before it was due in an effort to secure a public mandate.
His initial ratings suggested he may be able to capitalise on his personal popularity, but like his predecessor Fumio Kishida he was undone by resentment over his handling of a scandal involving unrecorded donations to LDP lawmakers.
Ishiba’s LDP declined to endorse several scandal-tainted candidates in the election. But days before the vote, a newspaper affiliated with the Japan Communist Party reported that the party had provided campaign funds to branches headed by non-endorsed candidates.
The story was picked up widely by Japanese media despite Ishiba saying the money could not be used by non-endorsed candidates. “LDP’s payments to branches show utter lack of care for public image,” ran an editorial in the influential Asahi newspaper two days before the election.
Support from smaller parties, such as the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) or the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), who won 28 and 38 seats respectively, could now be key for the LDP.
DPP chief Yuichiro Tamaki and JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba have both said they would rule out joining the coalition but are open to ad hoc cooperation on certain issues.
Ishiba echoed that sentiment, saying “at this moment in time, we are not anticipating a coalition” with other opposition parties. The LDP would hold discussions with other parties and possibly take on some of their policy ideas, he added.
The DPP and JIP propose policies that could be challenging for the LDP and the Bank of Japan.
The DPP calls for halving Japan’s 10% sales tax until real wages rise, a policy not endorsed by the LDP, while both parties have criticised the BOJ’s efforts to raise interest rates and wean Japan off decades of monetary stimulus.
“It’s up to what can they give to these two parties to try and get them to just kind of join their side. The best scenario is getting them into the coalition government, but that’s a tall order,” said Rintaro Nishimura, an associate at consultancy The Asia Group.
In a statement, the head of Japan’s most powerful business lobby Keidanren, Masakazu Tokura, said he hoped for a stable government centered on the LDP-Komeito coalition to steer an economy that faced urgent tasks such as boosting energy security and maintaining the momentum for wage hikes.
On Saturday, October 25, Israel finally struck Iran after delaying the attack due to the Pentagon leak. The strikes appear to have targeted their ballistic missile capacity and air defenses, with some suggesting Iran’s ballistic missile program will take years to rebuild. Meanwhile, the alleged gutting of Iran’s air defenses senses the regime a stark warning. Next time, we won’t be so restrained, we won’t have to be.
What we know about Israel’s attack on Iran – BBC Source Link Excerpt:
Israel carried out what it described as “precise and targeted” airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, in retaliation for the barrage of strikes launched by Tehran against Israel earlier this month.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted military sites in several regions, with subsequent reports suggesting an Iranian missile production site had been hit. One civilian and four soldiers were killed in the attacks, the Iranian military said.
It marks the latest in a series of attacks between the two regional foes that for months have raised fears of an all-out war.
The 16th BRICS Summit completed on Thursday, October 25. It was conducted this year in Kazan, Russia. At the meeting, the prevailing theme was “this is the end American hegemony and the beginning of a multipolar world order.” It was highlighted by the Kazan Declaration, which included 13 provisions that will allegedly create “a more just and democratic world order.”
This summit, more than any other since, garnished worldwide MSM and alternative media attention, and it serves as an “alterative” to anyone currently in the American orbit to consider a more “lucrative” (allegedly) option.
BRICS Summit highlights ‘Twilight of US Hegemony’, marks ‘official launch of Multipolar World Order’ – IOL Source Link Excerpt:
Thursday marked the fourth and final day of the 16th Summit of the BRICS bloc, held this year in Kazan, Russia.
Packed with dozens of high-level meetings and bilateral talks and summarized in a 134-point joint declaration, the summit also had plenty of symbolic meaning, which observers unpacked for Sputnik.
“The BRICS Summit in Kazan is undoubtedly one of the most important global political and diplomatic events of this year as it brought together the leaders of the expanded BRICS family for the first time,” Professor Alexis Habiyaremye, a senior researcher with DSI/NRF, South African Research Chair in Industrial Development, University of Johannesburg, told Sputnik, summarizing the summit’s results as the long-anticipated event reached its final day.
“The grouping has now become the global growth engine and its economic muscle is by any measure stronger than that of the old hegemonic grouping. One can say that it’s the official launch of the multilateral world order, the twilight of the US hegemony,” Habiyaremye said.
The Kazan Declaration, published Wednesday and featuring 134 provisions aimed at “creating a more just and democratic world order,” “enhancing cooperation for global and regional stability and security,” “fostering economic and financial cooperation” and “strengthening people-to-people exchanges for social and economic development.”
According to Microsoft, Russia is working to spread fake news to help the Republicans win the 2024 election, while the Chinese are doing the same thing to help the Democrats win.
The Microsoft Report claimed, “Actors have parroted antisemitic messages, amplified accusations of corruption, and promoted opposition candidates. While not always resulting in high levels of engagement, these efforts demonstrate China’s sustained attempts influence U.S. politics across the board. History has shown foreign actors’ ability to rapidly distribute deceptive content can significantly impact public perception and electoral outcomes. With a particular focus on the 48 hours before and after Election Day, voters, government institutions, candidates, and parties must remain vigilant against deceptive and suspicious activity online.”
Microsoft Discovers Chinese Election Interference Efforts Aimed at Damaging Republican Candidates– www.westernjournal.com Source Link Excerpt:
China is meddling with American elections in three states while also smearing Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to Microsoft.
A report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center said China is targeting three Republicans – Reps. Barry Moore of Alabama, Michael McCaul of Texas as well as Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee – all of whom are up for election next month, as well as Rubio.
“Chinese influence operations have focused on down-ballot Republican candidates and members of Congress that advocate for anti-Chinese policies,” Microsoft said in its report.
When Tim Walz (D-MN) was a teacher in a Nebraska High School in 1996, he welcomed a delegation of Chinese Communist Party officials. Ye Guoqiang and Yi Hongtao, to “study the education system” of the United States.
James Comer (R-KY) has noted yet another CCP connection to Walz, saying, “Governor Tim Walz’s documented relationships with Chinese Communist Party affiliated entities and officials bears hallmarks of a CCP infiltration and influence campaign. FBI briefers recently informed the Oversight Committee that the Bureau’s Foreign Influence Task Force investigates CCP subnational influence operations and activity that is similar to how China has engaged with Governor Walz.”
Tim Walz Welcomed Chinese Communist Officials into Nebraska Classroom › American Greatness– amgreatness.com Source Link Excerpt:
A new report claims that Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn.), the Democratic nominee for vice president, once allowed several officials with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into his classroom in Nebraska while he was still a schoolteacher in the 1990s.
According to the Daily Caller, Walz greeted a delegation of three CCP officials, labeled as “educators,” in February of 1996 when they visited the Alliance High School’s social studies class. The purpose of their visit was to allegedly “study the education system” of the United States. But some of the officials were working at the time for a Chinese intelligence agency.
The delegation consisted of two CCP officials, Ye Guoqiang and Yi Hongtao, who at the time were members of Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education; they were accompanied by their interpreter, Ning Ziheng. While there was no proof that Ziheng was a CCP member, the other two delegation members had been involved with the CCP for decades prior to their visit.
Details of their visit were provided in large part by a newspaper article from 1996 in the Alliance Times-Herald detailing the delegation’s visit. The article even included a black-and-white photograph of Walz and the three Chinese officials in the classroom together.
China’s AI-Powered Railgun Shocks U.S. Military: A Hypersonic Threat Set to Dominate Naval Warfare! – MSN Source Link Excerpt:
China has just taken a massive leap in military technology, leaving U.S. defense officials rattled. By harnessing artificial intelligence (AI), China has cracked the code on railgun technology—a futuristic weapon capable of launching projectiles at hypersonic speeds. While the U.S. struggled for years with its own railgun program, China surged ahead, and now, their railguns could soon be deployed at sea, marking a game-changing shift in naval warfare.
This technological breakthrough signals more than just another military advance—it’s a clear indication that China has transitioned from being an imitator to a formidable innovator, with the U.S. losing ground. But China’s focus isn’t just on America. Their real concern? Japan, which is also advancing rapidly in railgun technology, further intensifying the arms race in Asia.
With AI bolstering their capabilities, China’s rise in military innovation presents a serious challenge, not only to U.S. dominance but also to regional stability, as China’s powerful new weapons reshape the global military balance.
Brazil informally vetoed the admission of the Venezuelan dictatorship as a partner country in BRICS, the new category of association that is the key novelty of the 16th meeting of the group, which began this Tuesday (22) in Kazan.
What seemed like a consensus solution, however, was shaken by the surprise arrival of Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro. The signal of pressure is obvious, given the fact that the Chavista regime is militarily supported by Russia.
Caracas had been left out of the list of 12 countries to be invited. According to Folha’s findings, they are, by region of the world: Cuba and Bolivia, Indonesia and Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Thailand and Vietnam, Nigeria and Uganda, and Turkey and Belarus.
The list, which is being put together by the Russian presidency of the bloc, is not yet final, and there may be surprises at the meeting of heads of state and government.
IDF Uncovers Documents Showing Six Al Jazeera Journalists Are Hamas, Islamic Jihad Terrorists– legalinsurrection.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on Wednesday, released documents showing six Al Jazeera journalists are members of terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
The terrorists were identified based on the documents uncovered in Gaza. “The IDF says it has uncovered documents in the Gaza Strip it claims reveal that six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives in the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups,” The Times of Israel reported. “The journalists are named by the IDF as Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salameh, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Sarraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal al-Arrouqi.”
Some of these Al Jazeera staffers, who enjoyed protection in the Gaza conflict zones due to their press credentials, hold senior positions in Palestinian terrorist organizations. They are operatives in Hamas’s Nukhba Force and Nuseirat Battalion terrorist formations, which spearheaded the October 7 massacre, Israeli media reports confirm.
The IDF announced that six journalists actively working for Al Jazeera were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). pic.twitter.com/05xpga9G5a
Former model says Donald Trump groped her during Trump Tower visit with Jeffrey Epstein in 1993 – US politics live | US politics– www.theguardian.com Source Link Excerpt:
A former model has told the Guardian that Donald Trump groped her at his Manhattan tower in 1993, after she was introduced to the real estate mogul by notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Stacey Williams said Trump put his hands “all over my breasts” as well as her waist and buttocks in their brief meeting, unwanted touching that left her “deeply confused”.
NORTH KOREA INVADES UKRAINE AS BRITAIN SAYS UKRAINE IS ABOUT TO FALL – Reports of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine have been increasing, and now Kyiv is claiming 10,000 troops have joined Russia’s fight against Ukraine. South Korea is demanding North Korea withdraw their troops immediately. Britain claims Ukraine is about to fall, though rumors of both nation’s immanent collapse have been frequent throughout the course of the war.
North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says – kyivindependent.com Source Link Excerpt:
North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to boost its war efforts against Ukraine, a Western diplomat familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 15.
Concerns over the deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have escalated dramatically this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 13 that Russia’s plans for supporting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine would this autumn include “the actual involvement of North Korea in the war.”
The Western diplomat told the Kyiv Independent that it’s unclear what kind of soldiers they are or what their roles were. The Kyiv Independent contacted Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry but did not receive a reply at the time of publication. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) declined to comment.
As Russia and North Korea deepen military ties, Western diplomats and experts stress that it shows Moscow’s increasing need for resources to continue waging its costly war in Ukraine.
“It’s a clear indicator how far Russia and its military have fallen over the last 2.5 years that it’s having to beg, borrow and buy support from North Korea,” John Foreman CBE, the U.K.’s former defense attache in Moscow from 2019 to 2022, told the Kyiv Independent.
Seoul demands ‘immediate withdrawal’ of North Korean troops in Russia– www.channelnewsasia.com Source Link Excerpt:
In Pyongyang’s first such deployment overseas, about 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers are already in Russia acclimatising and likely to head to the front lines after, Seoul’s spy agency said Friday, with additional troops set to depart soon.
South Korea has long claimed the nuclear-armed North is supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, while leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a military deal in June.
Seoul expressed its “grave concerns regarding North Korea’s recent dispatch of troops to Russia and strongly urged the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces”, vice foreign minister Kim Hong-kyun told Russian ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev.
British military believes Kiev ‘on the verge of losing’ – media — RT World News– www.rt.com Source Link Excerpt:
Vladimir Zelensky is meanwhile preparing to make public his ‘victory plan’ for the conflict with Russia
Behind closed doors, the British military has grim expectations for the Ukraine conflict and believes that Kiev is about to lose, the tabloid Daily Express claimed on Tuesday.
Over the past month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has been touting his ‘victory plan’ to foreign leaders. Later this week he is set to unveil it to Ukrainian MPs and the general public, as well as the European Council. What Zelensky will present to his nation on Wednesday will not include specific numbers of requested weapons shipments by donor nations, according to his aide Mikhail Podoliak.
As one of the key suppliers of arms to Ukraine, Britain has publicly supported Kiev’s uncompromising position in the conflict with Russia. But private assessments by its generals say the situation is bad for Ukraine, a military source cited by Daily Express said.
”I was speaking to a very senior British Army officer today,” the source was quoted as saying. “He told me that Ukraine is on the verge of losing the war against Russia. It’s very serious.”
US sanctions China amid reports North Korea could enter Ukraine-Russia war– www.army-technology.com Source Link Excerpt:
Recent developments in the Ukraine-Russia war point to the disturbing possibility that it is nearing a new escalatory phase, as allies of the two sides are further drawn into the consequences for their support.
A series of distinctive, yet connected, events in the Ukraine war point towards the potential for a further ratcheting up of tensions and the real prospect that third-party state forces could become embroiled in combat operations following reports that North Korean forces could join their Russian ally in Ukraine.
UK to boost Nato’s eastern flank, integrate missile capabilities– www.army-technology.com Source Link Excerpt:
The defence ministers of UK and Estonia have signed a new defence roadmap to enhance Nato’s eastern flank over the next two years.
This joint declaration, signed at a Nato Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, commits 1,000 of troops from the British Army’s 4th Brigade to high readiness, supplementing forces already in Estonia.
During the meeting, UK Defence Secretary John Healey signed the new roadmap with his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkur.
The joint declaration aims to fortify the existing defence partnership between the nations, presenting a united front against Russian aggression.
Healey said: “As global threats increase, the UK’s unshakeable commitment to NATO has never been more important.
Lukashenko demands participation of Belarus in talks on Ukraine – unn.ua Source Link Excerpt:
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that representatives of Minsk should be involved in negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine. A video fragment of his speech was published by Pul First, a media outlet close to the president’s press service, UNN reports .
Details
Lukashenko says that the “Ukrainian crisis” is also a problem for Belarus, so he does not want this issue to be resolved without Minsk.
I have always insisted, and I tell Ukrainians and Russians about it, that Putin should be present at the negotiations on Ukraine. Why? Because this is our problem. I don’t want our issues to be resolved there without us
Former Obama Attorney General Suing Department of Defense on Behalf of Chinese Company › American Greatness– amgreatness.com Source Link Excerpt:
A former high-ranking cabinet official in the Obama Administration is providing legal services to a Chinese military company as it files a lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DOD).
As the Daily Caller reports, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who served as the final Attorney General in Barack Obama’s Cabinet from 2015 to 2017, is one of the five attorneys representing Chinese drone manufacturer DJI. Her services, along with the other four lawyers, are being provided by the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison.
DJI filed its lawsuit on October 18th, challenging the Pentagon’s decision to designate the company as a “Chinese military company.” DJI was added to the Pentagon’s list of Section 1260H entities, determining that the company is “directly or indirectly owned, controlled or beneficially owned by” the Chinese military, and provides direct support to Chinese weapons manufacturing.
Lynch’s lawsuit claims that DJI “is neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military and … sells only ‘consumer and commercial’ — not military — drones.” The company also insists that, as a result of the designation by the DOD, the company has suffered “ongoing financial and reputational harm.”
In a blistering statement on Monday, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), declared that “Barack Obama’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has turned her back on her nation, selling out to our greatest adversary Communist China and suing the United States on behalf of CCP-owned drone company DJI.”
“Not only is her lawsuit full of factual errors, it is also an obvious effort by DJI to distract from CBP’s recent halting of DJI imports due to Uyghur slave labor concerns and a futile attempt to disrupt the momentum behind my unanimously passed Countering CCP Drones Act,” Stefanik continued. “DJI’s time in the United States is rightfully coming to an end and Loretta Lynch’s sham lawsuit is not going to save them.”
Responding to Government Censors’ Crackdown on Online Slang and Memes, Chinese Internet Users Protest, “We Want to Speak Properly, but You Won’t Let Us!”– chinadigitaltimes.net Source Link Excerpt:
Chinese internet users are taking issue with a recent announcement that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and Ministry of Education are trying to standardize online speech by cracking down on the use of “irregular and uncivilized language and text” appearing on the homepages, trending search lists, and suggested content sections of major online platforms. Such verboten speech includes variant or homophonic Chinese characters, abbreviations, online slang, “bad” memes, and phrases whose meaning seems obscure.
An October 11 Weibo post from The Paper (a digital newspaper owned and operated by state-owned Shanghai United Media Group) about the CAC’s latest campaign elicited an outpouring of comments from Chinese netizens. Many blamed government censors and large online platforms for censoring so many words and phrases that ordinary internet users have no choice but to turn to abbreviations, obscure language, variant characters, and homophones in order to express themselves online. “As the number of words we’re allowed to say shrinks, the volume of online slang expands,” commented one Weibo user. “It’s not clear what their underlying logic is—they just keep blindly banning things.” Another wrote: “Want to hazard a guess as to why jargon, bad memes, and obscure expressions proliferate?”
By October 14, comment filtering had been activated for The Paper’s Weibo post, and many of the comments under it disappeared. Numerous Weibo users noted the irony of censoring comments about censoring slang that itself arose as a response to online censorship. CDT Chinese editors have archived some of the now-deleted Weibo comments, a selection of which are translated below:
-孤卷残云：I think the official media ought to be banned from creating “bad memes”! The [euphemism] “malicious requests for unpaid wages” is one example.
迪南美：There are too many “sensitive words,” so we use homophones instead.
鸉鵗：Those words were invented to avoid using censored words.
恋枫居士：Why don’t you first make the various platform censors’ lists of blocked words public?
卡铱诺特：You don’t want to hear meaningful online speech.
双椒麻辣鱼头：Cut down on the number of banned words, and you’ll see an increase in the number of people who can speak properly.
大二笨WH：The point is that we want to speak properly, but you won’t let us!
库特纳霍拉的骨头：Vloggers use all sorts of abbreviations and shorthand in their video subtitles. You think it’s just because they enjoy being inventive?
河南原神小王：Who are the ones really polluting the Chinese language? Just look at the subtitles for TV programs, the most popular form of media. Even in a simple expression like “I’m dying of laughter,” the word “dying” has to be placed in quotation marks. And you’re blaming the public? With your invisible red lines and pointless censorship, you’re the ones who have perverted language, and driven my mother tongue from the land where she was born.
慕有枝613：Wouldn’t the most effective solution be to get rid of lists of “sensitive words”?
玫瑰色的我___ : “Abbreviations and symbols are not my mother tongue.”
珊煜君_山芋君：The simplified Chinese internet isn’t suited to proper speech. [Chinese]
Argentina analyzing Brazil’s request for extradition of Jan. 8 rioters – thestar.com Source Link Excerpt:
(Reuters) – Argentina has received and is analyzing Brazil’s request for the extradition of Brazilian nationals currently in the neighboring country who are linked to an alleged 2023 coup attempt, Argentine presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said on Thursday.
“The request arrived yesterday and the corresponding areas are analyzing it,” Adorni told a press conference when asked if Argentina would comply with the request. “I don’t have a concrete answer to give you as it is very recent.”
Venezuela arrests five foreigners over alleged anti-government plot – bbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
Venezuelan authorities have arrested five foreign nationals in connection with an alleged anti-government plot, the latest in a wave of arrests following July’s contested presidential election.
The country’s interior minister Diosdado Cabello said on Thursday that the five – three Americans, a Bolivian and a Peruvian – had engaged in a plan to destabilise the country.
Cabello claimed that US intelligence agencies were involved in the plot, though he provided no evidence for the allegation.
The CIA previously denied a claim it was involved in an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.
The US State Department condemned the latest arrests and said that the “safety and security of American citizens anywhere around the world is our first priority”.
Electoral authorities loyal to Maduro announced him the victor in the July election, but the claim has been widely rejected by the international community.
More than 2,400 people have been detained for protesting against the election result. Hundreds have been charged with crimes including terrorism, incitement to hatred and resistance to authority, according to Human Rights Watch.
Two documents were leaked to Iran that expose in whole or in part Israel’s plans for retaliation following Iran’s recent missile barrage of the country. The Pentagon has stressed that no employee in the Defense Department is under suspicion at present. The leak critically undermines America’s trustworthiness not just with Israel, but with the rest of the world.
President Donald Trump believes the leaker is coming from within, as do most other people not existentially committed to the social experiment that is the DNC-CCP agenda.
Trump said, “They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about. We have an enemy from within. They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”
The U.S. is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans– www.washingtontimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate.
The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported Saturday by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted, the official said.
Trump suggests ‘enemy from within’ is responsible for Israel leak– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
Former President Donald Trump used his “enemies from within” line to suggest that Americans were responsible for a classified documents leak.
Trump claimed without evidence that an “enemy from within” leaked highly classified U.S. intelligence documents involving Israel. The FBI is investigating the incident.
“They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about,” Trump said at an event focused on Latino leaders Tuesday.
“We have an enemy from within,” Trump continued, adding, “They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”
White House officials have said it has not been determined yet whether the documents were leaked or hacked, but they said they do not expect additional leaks. The documents in question were each dated Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, purportedly from U.S. government agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Their contents focused on Israel’s expected retaliatory attack against Iran.
While it is unclear exactly who “they” Trump is referring to, he did reaffirm that his “enemies from within” line is, in fact, referring to his political opponents. When asked on Fox News to clarify his comments about using law enforcement or the military against those who disagree with him, Trump confirmed he was talking about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
“What they’ve done is so terrible. Who’s ever heard of anything like this? Adam shifty Schiff. He’s a crooked guy. He’s a crooked politician. 100% he’s going to be a senator,” Trump said on Sunday. “Of course, he’s an enemy. He’s an enemy. He wanted to put my son in jail.”
“We have a lot of bad people. But when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within. She lied,” Trump continued.
FBI Investigates Leak on Israel’s Iran Strike Plans – devdiscourse
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are under investigation for a leak concerning Israel’s strike on Iran. The FBI is probing the release of classified documents, while social media falsely accused a Defense Department employee.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed that no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are currently being scrutinized in relation to a leak of U.S. intelligence about Israel’s plans to strike Iran. Speaking in Rome, Austin assured reporters that no OSD officials have been implicated in the investigation.
According to the FBI, the inquiry is focused on the unauthorized public disclosure of two highly classified documents that detail Israel’s intention for a retaliatory operation against Iran. The Bureau made this announcement on Tuesday, reinforcing a commitment to uncover the source of the leak.
Israel targets Hezbollah-run banks as U.S. probes alleged leak of Iran attack plan– www.cbsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
The White House says President Biden is “deeply concerned” about the possible leak of American intelligence about Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran. Meanwhile, Israel is turning up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeting the group’s financial network. Debora Patta reports.
A recent call by eleven alleged Republican former prosecutors to investigate Elon Musk for election violations has drawn attention to a man whose Empire is under numerous assaults from numerous governments, including the Federal government of the United States of America.
The 11 Republicans, which include former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, want nothing more than prison for Musk, claiming, “Federal law, 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c), imposes up to five years in prison on anyone who ‘knowingly or willfully . . . pays or offers to pay or accepts payment . . . for registration to vote.’”
Biden-Harris DOJ Confirms Request to Investigate Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump Election Activity– www.westernjournal.com Source Link Excerpt:
Former Republican Justice Department and other officials sent a letter Monday to Democratic Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting he open an investigation into billionaire Elon Musk’s cash prizes to registered voters in swing states.
Musk, through his America PAC, is selecting a $1 million lottery winner each day until the election to registered voters who sign a petition saying they support the First and Second Amendments.
The petition signers must be registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
EU Threatens Elon Musk’s Entire Empire with Crippling Fines– wltreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
They tried to make a secret deal with him.
That didn’t work.
So, the EU’s new strategy?
If X can’t censor, they’re not just coming after X—they’re targeting SpaceX and Neuralink too.
That’s right, regulators are considering lumping Musk’s other businesses into the mix.
They’re trying to calculate the largest fines they can invent.
That doesn’t sound very ethical or legal.
The European Union is threatening to fine X based on not only the revenues of X, but also trying to include SpaceX and Elon’s other companies.
It is blatantly illegal and has no basis in law. The EU is conducting lawfare against Elon Musk in an effort to force him to comply with… pic.twitter.com/r2TOXNBPuI
The European Union has warned X that it may calculate fines against the social-media platform by including revenue from Elon Musk’s other businesses, including Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Neuralink Corp., an approach that would significantly increase the potential penalties for violating content moderation rules.
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the bloc can slap online platforms with fines of as much as 6% of their yearly global revenue for failing to tackle illegal content and disinformation or follow transparency rules. Regulators are considering whether sales from SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI and the Boring Company, in addition to revenue generated from the social network, should be included to determine potential fines against X, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.
The BRICS coalition of nations, which started out as a 5-nation coalition, expanded to include 4 new countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE), and now includes a couple dozen more countries wanting in to the club, met again this year, with the prevailing theme being the urgency of creating a world financial alternative to the western-dominated one. Russia is leading the charge, with China right beside, and both are now pushing for a gold-backed BRICS currency.
Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov declared,” The IMF and the World Bank are not performing their roles. They are not working in the interests of BRICS countries. It is necessary to form new conditions or even new institutions, similar to the Bretton Woods institutions, but within the framework of our community, within the framework of BRICS.”
The BRICS Coalition, with some exceptions, seems to be forming a Global South Coalition rather than an Eastern one, meaning the polarity of world power is starting to form around northern and southern powers (with some notable exceptions, such as Russia) rather than Eastern and Western ones (which also includes exceptions).
Anti-West BRICS Summit Unites Biggest U.S. Enemies – PJ Media– pjmedia.com Source Link Excerpt:
The BRICS coalition of nations, which last year touted its expansion and determination to undermine U.S. currency’s global status, is once again bringing together powerful dictatorships to challenge the West, especially America.
As the world’s greatest mass murderer, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), dictatorial Russia, jihad-sponsoring Iran, and the other regime leaders of the BRICS nations gather in Russia for the BRICS Summit, the CCP has made it clear that the nations’ coalition is a rival to the West. “Unlike the ideological offensive and defensive alliances formed by some Western countries, the BRICS cooperation mechanism embraces diverse political systems and economic development models,” CCP outlet Global Times babbled. It’s propaganda but still worth noting, especially in light of last year‘s BRICS goal of de-dollarization — a move away from the U.S. dollar as world reserve currency. That’s a goal the CCP highlighted again this year.
This comes as an unknown number of Chinese spies infiltrate through our southern border as illegal aliens. Indeed, The Federalist covered a Congressional report last week that Chinese Communist spying has increased across 20 states since pro-China Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office. The CCP wants to prevent a Trump presidency, undermine the U.S. dollar, and keep the U.S. weak — which is exactly what Russia and Iran want, too. These countries arespying on the U.S. and funding our politicians. Yes, BRICS is a threat, but that is why we need new leadership in America from the White House on down.
In the article I cited above, CCP’s Global Times used a lot of nonsense words to emphasize its ambitious goals for BRICS.
From the Middle East to Africa, from Asia to Latin America, the expansion of BRICS is an inevitable result of aligning with globalization trends to promote win-win cooperation. The expanded “Greater BRICS” now accounts for nearly half of the world’s population, with greater strength and broader representation…the economic output of the “Greater BRICS,” calculated by purchasing power parity, has already surpassed that of the G7…joining BRICS helps promote economic development, improve trade levels, attract more investment, reduce reliance on the US dollar, and enhance their country’s international standing…
Additionally, the charm of the “Greater BRICS” lies in that in an increasingly fragmented world, it allows the Global South, which lags behind the West in economic development, to see the power of unity and collaboration, as well as the hope of catching up
In another article, Global Times pontificated, “While organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank remain crucial, BRICS brings new energy and perspectives by prioritizing the needs and aspirations of the Global South.” The CCP outlet added:
A key contribution of BRICS lies in its efforts to advance inclusive economic globalization. For decades, the benefits of global economic growth have disproportionately flowed to the West, leaving much of the developing world on the margins. Closer and enlarged BRICS cooperation promises to rebalance this dynamic by promoting investment, infrastructure development, and trade that align with the specific priorities of the Global South.
BRICS aims to rival and eventually usurp the power of corrupt globalist organizations like the UN. Of course, the Islamic jihadis backed by Iran and the CCP already seem to dominate the UN. Yes, this is what it looks like when genocidal dictatorships try to take over the world. That’s not Sci-fi or comic book exaggeration; it’s reality.
The CCP is extremely open about its goal of being the “Middle Kingdom,” by which it means the center of the world, the sun around which all other nations revolve. The Iranian regime has affirmed that “Death to America” is one of its main slogans, and it has threatened to assassinate Donald Trump and other U.S. politicians. Russia hates the Biden-Harris administration for funding Ukrainian oligarchs. The other BRICS nations, including Brazil, also resent U.S. influence.
All of which is to say that when you vote this year, don’t just vote for Republicans who will take on domestic problems, but for leaders like Donald Trump who will challenge and contain the dictators desperate to destroy us.
Russia urges BRICS to create global financial alternative to Western-controlled IMF – Firstpost Source Link Excerpt:
…. Russia as the current chair of the BRICS group has urged the member countries to form an alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to counterbalance the political influence exerted by Western nations ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit this month.,,
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who is hosting the meeting, said the global financial system is controlled by Western countries and that the group, which represents 37% of the global economy, needs to create an alternative.
”The IMF and the World Bank are not performing their roles. They are not working in the interests of BRICS countries,” Siluanov said at an event on the first day of the meeting.
”It is necessary to form new conditions or even new institutions, similar to the Bretton Woods institutions, but within the framework of our community, within the framework of BRICS,” Siluanov added.
BRICS Summit Kicks Off With Welcome To “Record Gold Prices”– wltreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
An expanding group of nations are backing a new form of money aimed at disrupting the Western status quo and dethroning the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
At a meeting this week, representatives from these BRICS nations met to discuss their strategy at a summit that coincided with an all-time record-high price for gold.
— Peter Spina ⚒ GoldSeek | SilverSeek (@goldseek) October 22, 2024
That “new world order” involves a gold-back currency that could become an existential threat to the U.S. dollar and, as nations around the world invest in gold as a hedge, the precious metal’s price continues to soar.
Russia hosts BRICS summit, pushes new world order agenda to rival West – cnbc Source Link Excerpt:
Russia is rolling out the red carpet to its geopolitical allies as it hosts the latest BRICS summit on Tuesday, pushing its agenda to create a “new world order” that challenges the West.
The group was initially comprised of Brazil, Russia, India and China before South Africa joined in 2010, giving the organization of rapidly economically-developing nations its current name. It has since morphed into a geopolitical forum for the world’s most powerful nations outside of the West.
The BRICS now have additional clout after Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined the group in January, with membership to the bloc becoming an attractive prospect for countries looking to boost trade, investment and economic development.
Russia has been trying to woo what’s collectively known as the “Global South” — or economically-developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America — and contrast to the “Global North” of industrialized nations, traditionally led by the U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin frequently comments on his ambition to establish what he calls a “new world order” to rival and usurp the geopolitical and economic pre-eminence enjoyed by the U.S.-led West.
Russia, holder of the rotating BRICS presidency and economically isolated and heavily sanctioned by the West, can also turn to this year’s summit to demonstrate that it still commands respect on the global stage and has powerful allies willing to turn a blind eye to its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Putin has described the beefed-up BRICS group as a “strong indication of the growing authority of the association and its role in international affairs” and signaled on Friday that he intends for the so-called “BRICS +” format to challenge the West on both a geopolitical and economic front.
“The countries in our association are essentially the drivers of global economic growth. In the foreseeable future, BRICS will generate the main increase in global GDP,” Putin told officials and businessmen last Friday at the BRICS business forum in Moscow, which precedes the group’s summit, in comments translated by Reuters.
“The economic growth of BRICS members will increasingly depend less on external influence or interference. This is essentially economic sovereignty,” Putin added.
Earlier in October, Putin said Moscow was open to using the summit for discussions with its allies on the “the parameters of interaction in the emerging multipolar world, and is open to discussing the issues of building a new world order with all our friends, partners and like-minded people,” he said, according to Russian state-owned news agency Tass.
Putin added that “it is in this spirit that we are preparing the BRICS and Outreach/BRICS Plus summit,” referring to the last day of the three-day summit when officials from almost 40 Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries are attending as part of the group’s bid to expand ties with the “Global South.”
PM’s Modi Full Speech At 16th BRICS Summit In Russia– www.ndtv.com Source Link Excerpt:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today strongly pitched for “single-minded” focus and “firm support” of all in combating terrorism, asserting that there is no place for “double standards” to deal with the challenge. In an address at the 16th BRICS Summit, PM Modi also underlined the need to take “active steps” to stop the radicalisation of young people.
Here’s PM Modi’s full speech at the BRICS Summit.
Your Highness,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Congratulations to President Putin for the excellent organisation of the 16th BRICS Summit.
And, once again, a warm welcome to all the new friends who have joined BRICS. In its new avatar, BRICS accounts for 40 per cent of the world’s humanity and about 30 per cent of the global economy.
In the last nearly two decades, BRICS has achieved many milestones.I am confident that in the times to come, this organisation will emerge as a more effective medium to face global challenges.
I would also like to convey warm greetings to Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank.
Friends,
In the last 10 years, this bank has emerged as an important option for the development needs of the countries of the Global South. The opening of GIFT or Gujarat International Finance Tech City in India as well as regional centres in Africa and Russia has boosted the activities of this bank. And, development projects worth about $35 billion have been sanctioned. NDB should continue to work on the basis of the demand driven principle. And, while expanding the bank, ensuring long-term financial sustainability, healthy credit rating and market access should remain a priority.
Friends,
In its new expanded avatar, BRICS has emerged as an economy of more than $30 trillion. The BRICS Business Council and the BRICS Women Business Alliance have played a special role in increasing our economic cooperation.
This year, the consensus reached within BRICS on WTO reforms, trade facilitation in agriculture, resilient supply chains, e-commerce and Special Economic Zones will strengthen our economic cooperation. Amidst all these initiatives, we should also focus on the interests of small and medium scale industries.
I am pleased that the BRICS Startup Forum proposed during India’s presidency in 2021 will be launched this year. The Railway Research Network initiative taken by India is also playing an important role in increasing logistics and supply chain connectivity among BRICS countries. This year, the consensus reached by BRICS countries, in collaboration with UNIDO, to prepare a skilled workforce for Industry 4.0 is quite significant.
The BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre launched in 2022 is helping increase health security in all the countries. We would be happy to share India’s successful experience in Digital Health with BRICS partners.
Friends,
Climate change has been a subject of our common priority. The consensus reached for the BRICS Open Carbon Market Partnership under Russia’s presidency is welcome. In India too, special emphasis is being laid on green growth, climate resilient infrastructure and green transition. Indeed, India has taken up several initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Mission LiFE i.e. Lifestyle for Environment, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.
Last year, during COP-28, we started an important initiative called Green Credit. I invite BRICS partners to join these initiatives.
Special emphasis is being laid on the construction of infrastructure in all BRICS countries. We have established a digital platform called the Gati-Shakti portal to rapidly expand multi-modal connectivity in India. This has helped in integrated infrastructure development planning and implementation and has reduced logistics costs.
We will be happy to share our experiences with all of you.
Friends,
We welcome efforts to increase financial integration among BRICS countries.
Trade in local currencies and smooth cross-border payments will strengthen our economic cooperation. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) developed by India is a huge success story and has been adopted in many countries.
Last year, together with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed, it was launched in the UAE as well. We can also cooperate with other BRICS countries in this area.
Friends,
India is fully committed to increasing cooperation under BRICS. Our strong belief in our diversity and multipolarity is our strength. This strength of ours, and our shared belief in humanity, will help in giving a meaningful shape to a prosperous and a bright future for the generations to come.
I thank everyone for today’s very important and valuable discussions. As the next President of BRICS, I extend my heartfelt best wishes to President Lula. India will give its full support for the success of your BRICS presidency.
Once again, many thanks to President Putin and all the leaders.
(This is the approximate translation of the Prime Minister’s remarks. Original remarks were delivered in Hindi.)
An article in The National Interest has highlighted a potential critical fail in America’s war strategy, especially as it relates to her number one threat, China. The article highlights the development of one American Ford Class Aircraft Carrier, $13 billion, contrasted with a Chinese Frigate armed with hypersonic missiles, operating at a fraction of the cost of an aircraft carrier.
The world is building cheap systems to destroy carriers while America continues to direct more of its resources to these increasingly legacy platforms. The game-changer is the hypersonic missile, though, as of yet, no country has demonstrated reliable accuracy with these missiles, it is only a matter of time before that part is mastered as well, and then America’s massive military advantage, its aircraft carriers, will be over.
The Navy Is Freaked: The Age of Big Warships Is Just About Done – nationalinterest.org Source Link Excerpt:
What You Need to Know: The dominance of large surface warships, especially aircraft carriers, is increasingly threatened by advanced anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems developed by adversaries like China. Hypersonic missiles and other sophisticated weapons, such as China’s Dong-Feng 26B, pose a significant risk to these expensive platforms.
-The U.S. Navy’s reliance on carriers is becoming a liability in potential conflicts, as seen in Russia’s losses during the Ukraine War.
-To counter A2/AD threats, the U.S. must expand its submarine fleet, develop unmanned drones, and invest in hypersonic weapons. However, the Navy continues to prioritize legacy systems like carriers over future-proof solutions.
For centuries, navies around the world have taken pride in their large surface warships. The dominance of these warships persisted even after the advent of submarines. In fact, during the Second World War, when submarines became a primary weapons platform for navies, the aircraft carrier stole all the headlines.
Today, however, things are changing…
The rise of anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) means that the large surface warship’s days as the primary form of power projection in a naval fleet are coming to an end.
Consider that the Ford-class aircraft carrier, America’s newest, costs $13 billion per unit, plus hundreds of millions of dollars per year to maintain. The more numerous Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, while older than the Ford-class, are also very expensive.
An aircraft carrier is a large, highly complex warship. Its purpose is to maneuver a floating airbase near the territory of an enemy in order to threaten that rival with precise and consistent airstrikes.
Yet for a fraction of the cost, China’s Dong-Feng 26B missile can either sink an aircraft carrier outright or simply destroy its flight deck, rendering the carrier useless in battle.
The carrier is the primary means of American power projection. Its absence or limitation leaves a critical gap in U.S. military capabilities. That is a strategic gap that a rival like China can easily exploit.
It’s not just aircraft carriers that are vulnerable to China’s growing anti-ship capabilities. Other surface warships are also targets.
The Chinese military has developed a growing coterie of hypersonic weapons capabilities that it is planning to launch against incoming U.S. warships. Whatever defenses those warships have against conventional anti-ship missiles, there are no known countermeasures on U.S. warships to protect against these hypersonic systems.
It seems the Biden-Harris administration has made America a safe space for at least one of her sworn existential enemies, the Chinese Communist Party. A report from the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence claims “CCP-related espionage and acts of transnational repression” have spiked under the Biden-Harris administration’s watch.
Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) said in the report, “Beijing has continually encroached upon American sovereignty to spy, intimidate, and harass not only defectors, but even American citizens. It is important we remain clear-eyed about the threat the CCP poses to the security of the American people so we are prepared to counter its malign influence at every turn.”
CCP Spying ‘Expanded Rapidly’ Under Biden-Harris– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spying in the United States “expanded rapidly” under the Biden-Harris administration’s watch, according to a congressional report released Thursday.
Published by the House Homeland Security Committee’s House Committee On Homeland Security’s Subcommittee On Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, And Intelligence, the assessment details how cases of “CCP-related espionage and acts of transnational repression” have significantly increased since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office. The analysis was first reported by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Beijing has continually encroached upon American sovereignty to spy, intimidate, and harass not only defectors, but even American citizens,” Committee Chair and Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn. said in a statement. “It is important we remain clear-eyed about the threat the CCP poses to the security of the American people so we are prepared to counter its malign influence at every turn.”
According to the report, there have been more than 55 “CCP-related espionage cases in 20 states” from January 2021-October 2024. These have included incidents related to “transmission of sensitive military information to [the People’s Republic of China] PRC,” “stealing of trade secrets to benefit the PRC,” “transnational repression schemes to target PRC dissidents,” and “obstruction of justice.”
North Korea has launched an all-out assault on numerous roads that still connect the Hermit Kingdom to South Korea. It also fired warning shots across the demarcation line. Seoul anticipated the action, having warned the world a few days earlier that North Korea was preparing to take this action.
North Korea blows up roads near South Korean border as tensions soar | Military News– www.aljazeera.com Source Link Excerpt:
North Korea has blown up the northern sections of the roads that connect it to South Korea, according to South Korea’s military.
Some parts of the road north of the military demarcation line dividing the countries were blown up at about midday (03:00 GMT), the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message sent to media on Tuesday.
The military fired warning shots south of the demarcation line, it said.
Seoul had warned on Monday that Pyongyang was preparing to blow up the roads.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen since North Korea accused its neighbour of sending drones carrying propaganda leaflets over the country’s capital Pyongyang.
The explosions came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a meeting with his top military and security officials to discuss the issue.
During the meeting, Kim described the flights as the “enemy’s serious provocation” and laid out unspecified tasks related to “immediate military action” and the operation of his “war deterrent” for defending the country’s sovereignty, North Korean state media reported earlier on Tuesday.
The U.S. is now threatening to cut off aid to Israel if they don’t provide more humanitarian aid to Hamas. The Biden administration is giving Israel 30 days to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk losing U.S. military aid. The threat comes as Israel prepares to respond to Iran’s missile assault. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin both signed the letter sent to Netanyahu.
Biden Threatens to Halt Military Aid to Israel if Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza ‘Not Improved’– legalinsurrection.com Source Link Excerpt:
With Hamas holding over a hundred Israeli hostages for more than a year and terrorists regrouping in northern Gaza, President Joe Biden’s administration has reportedly threatened to cut U.S. military aid to Israel if humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave are ‘not improved’ in the next 30 days.
“The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday demanding Israel take steps within 30 days to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel being affected,” Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported in the new website Axios.
“The Biden administration is extremely concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially as Israeli Defense Forces renew their operations in the northern Gaza Strip,” Ravid noted.
A recent letter jointly signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin threatened to halt U.S. military aid.
“In the letter, Blinken and Austin said recent evacuation orders issued by the IDF to the population in Gaza have forced about 1.7 million Palestinians into a small strip of land on the Gaza coast, exposing them to dangerous diseases.” the Axios article said. “They added that international aid organizations claim they can’t address the needs of Palestinian civilians and that trucks of humanitarian aid paid for by the U.S. are being held up by Israel at the border crossings with Gaza.”
The ultimatum from Washington comes as Israeli ground troops are pressing ahead with a ground offensive against Hamas terrorist forces regrouping in the area of Jabaliya, northern Gaza.
🚨IDF forces of the 162nd Division have been operating for over a week in Jabaliya, North Gaza. The area is cut off, dozens of Hams terrorists have been neutralized, and many weapon stores have been uncovered. The fight continues. pic.twitter.com/vmuhLoCAjO
While Biden White House is putting pressure on Israel, Hamas is doing everything possible to maximize civilian casualties in Gaza. The Iran-backed jihadist group is using brute force to stop Gazans from moving to designated safe zones as the Israeli military advances on the Hamas stronghold of Jabaliya.
“Hamas is actively preventing Gazan civilians from heeding the IDF’s calls to move away from the combat zone in Jabaliya,” the IDF said in a press statement Monday. “In one conversation between an IDF representative and a Gazan civilian during the evacuation, the Gazan civilian described how Hamas forces were hitting them with sticks in order to prevent them from evacuating from the area.”
Since October 1, over 9,000 tons of humanitarian aid including food, water, gas, shelter equipment and medical supplies have entered Gaza through various crossings.
As shown in the video, some of the aid was transferred directly into northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/gYslbAQfNv
The military “remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid, especially in the medical field, while continuing its efforts to dismantle Hamas’ military and governance infrastructure embedded inside civilian areas,” the IDF assured in a statement Tuesday.
Iran’s Quds Force chief Qaani, missing for weeks after Beirut airstrike, shown on state TV
The top general of Iran’s Islamic Guard (IRGC) and chief of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has finally appeared on state TV after weeks of speculations about his fate. Qaani, who is in charge of Iran’s international terrorist activities, went missing in late September after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeted Hezbollah’s new likely chief, Hashem Safieddine.
Recent Arab media reports suggested that the Quds Force chief was being interrogated by the IRGC for allegedly passing on intelligence to Israel.
Putting an end to weeks of speculation about his fate, Esmail Ghaani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, made a public appearance at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport early Tuesday. His presence dispels rumors of his death or injury that had circulated following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs in late September.
In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Esmail Ghaani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was spotted at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. He was there to receive the body of Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking official of the organization in Lebanon, who was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Iran’s state television aired on Tuesday morning footage showing Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards during a ceremony that was held for the arrival of the body of Abbas Nilforoushan, the IRGC’s regional commander who was killed in Lebanon.… pic.twitter.com/qOtMbP0ssX
Qaani was promoted to lead the Quds Forces in early 2020 after his predecessor Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Israeli airstrike eliminates Hezbollah’s drone commander in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli armed forces eliminated a senior Hezbollah drone commander in a recent airstrike in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced Tuesday.
“A few days ago, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] eliminated the terrorist Khader Al-Abed Bahja, responsible for the area north of the Litani River in the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s Aerial Unit in the area of Nabatieh,” the IDF disclosed in a statement. “Under Bahja’s command, numerous aerial attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops were carried out from the area, making use of UAVs, surveillance aircraft, and explosive aircraft.”
Hezbollah’s Iranian-supplied drones pose a serious threat to Israeli military and civilians alike. On Sunday night, four Israeli soldiers were killed, and nearly 60 servicemen and civilians were injured in a Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel.
As the Israeli ground offensive in Southern Lebanon enters its third week. The air force hit terror targets all across the Hezbollah-dominated country. “Over the past day, in coordination with ground troops, the IAF struck more than 200 Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon and deep within Lebanon, including terrorist cells, anti-tank missile posts, and surface-to-surface missile launchers,” the IDF disclosed Tuesday.
IDF captures Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon, brings them for interrogation to Israel
Israeli troops arrested three Hezbollah terror operatives in southern Lebanon. The terrorist, members od Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, have been brought to Israel for interrogation, the IDF confirmed Tuesday.
🚨BREAKING🚨IDF forces captured 3 Hezbollah terrorists from the Radwan Force after they surrendered when they were located in an underground tunnel inside a Lebanese village. They were interrogated by Unit 504 and then brought to Israel for further investigation. pic.twitter.com/tds2JkDgjS
The IDF says it has arrested three members of the Hezbollah terror group’s elite Radwan force.
The three Radwan members were found in a shaft underneath a building, the IDF says.
The three were interrogated in the field after surrendering and were subsequently transferred to a prison facility in Israel.
The IDF separately publishes a video clip of the interrogation of a Hezbollah operative who claims that Radwan fighters ran away following Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah
In Brief: Japan’s New Prime Minister– warontherocks.com Source Link Excerpt:
A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** Last week, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took office after his predecessor, Fumio Kishida stepped down as scandals plagued his government. Ishiba has said his government will remain committed to the U.S.-Japanese alliance, but his government will also have to grapple with a slowing economy and regain public trust lost during the Kishida administration. We asked three experts
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