OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

lousubcap

Wednesday Israel-Hamas update:

"Hamas yesterday said a Gaza hostage and ceasefire agreement is “possible” and that the talks are “positive.” Separately, a Palestinian official said the negotiations are in a “decisive and final phase,” though an Israeli source cautioned that a deal was still potentially weeks away. Jeremy Diamond, Abeer Salman, Alex Marquardt, Becky Anderson, Kareem Khadder, and Eugenia Yosef report for CNN; Yolande Knell and Rushdi Aboualouf report for BBC News."

lousubcap

Thursday Syria update:

"There is “no talk” of a ceasefire deal between Ankara and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), contrary to the U.S. announcement of its extension, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said today. Huseyin Hayatsever reports for Reuters.

The presence of thousands of self-styled Islamic State fighters and their families in Syria’s makeshift prisons is a “ticking time bomb” amid Turkey-SDF clashes, a senior U.S. official said. Robbie Gramer and Paul McLeary report for POLITICO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly instructed the country’s military to remain in Syria’s Mount Hermon area until “at least the end of 2025,” a source told CNN yesterday. Eugenia Yosef, Andrew Raine, and Irene Nasser report."

lousubcap

Thursday Middle East (-Syria) update:

"CIA Director William Burns yesterday arrived in Doha to discuss the Gaza ceasefire with Qatari officials, a U.S. official said. Karen DeYoung and Heba Farouk Mahfouz report for the Washington Post.

Israel early today launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, killing nine people and injuring three others, a Houthi media officer said. The reported strikes came hours after Israel intercepted the latest Yemen-launched missile. Irene Nasser and Jessie Yeung report for CNN."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Putin today said he was “willing to compromise” over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump on ending the war and that Russia is moving toward “achieving its primary goals” on the battlefield. Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrew Osborn report for Reuters.

At least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting in Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker told media today, citing a briefing from the country's intelligence service. Joohee Cho and Hakyung Kate Lee report for ABC News.

The United Kingdom is considering sending its troops to Ukraine to help train Kyiv’s forces, U.K. defense sources said. Separately, Britain today announced an additional $286 million Ukraine military aid package. Jonathan Beale and Kathryn Armstrong report for BBC News; William James reports for Reuters.

The World Bank yesterday said it approved $2.05 billion in funding for Ukraine, including a new $20 billion U.S. loan fund for Kyiv backed by income from frozen Russian assets. David Lawder reports for Reuters.

A Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region has killed three people and injured three more.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched 10 Western-made missiles at Russia, according to Russian authorities.

Putin delivered his annual end-of-year news conference. Speaking for more than four hours, Putin talked about Russia’s economy and the war in Ukraine.

Putin challenged the US to a missile “duel” to prove the efficacy of its new ballistic missile. He also said he is open to meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump.

Zelenskyy attended a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, where he called on the bloc to continue supporting Ukraine, including its bid for membership in the union, to ensure “long lasting peace”."

lousubcap

From The Atlantic-
The Elon Musk show-

Charles Sykes

"For a few hours this week, Elon Musk didn’t just act as if he, and not Donald Trump, will soon hold the reins of government power; the GOP also responded as if he will.

Yesterday, a tantrum from the world’s richest person swayed events in Congress. First, Elon Musk launched a blizzard of X posts denouncing a bipartisan spending bill designed to keep the government open. Calling the bill “criminal,” Musk threatened: “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years!”

Panic ensued among the notoriously skittish congressional GOP, who quickly bowed to their master’s voice. Musk, of course, is not actually the president-elect. He received approximately zero percent of the votes in last month’s election. But for a few hours this week, Musk didn’t just act as if he, and not Donald Trump, will soon hold the reins of government power; the GOP also responded as if he will.

As Russell Berman noted in The Atlantic earlier today, Republicans were not happy with the proposed version of the spending bill, but House Speaker Mike Johnson “believed that he could get enough Republicans to join most Democrats in passing the bill in time to avert a government shutdown.” It turns out, though, that the person he really needed to persuade was Musk. “I was communicating with Elon last night,” Johnson said yesterday on Fox & Friends. “Elon, Vivek [Ramaswamy], and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this.” The pleading and lobbying to the unelected billionaires went on for a while. Johnson added, “Vivek and I talked last night [until] about almost midnight … [He and Musk] understand the situation. They said, ‘It’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ And I said, ‘Guess what, fellas? I don’t either.’”

Johnson’s attempt at appeasement failed. Within hours, the pseudo president-elect had kneecapped Johnson. Trump and J. D. Vance weighed in yesterday afternoon, releasing a statement denouncing the spending bill. The government was on the edge of a shutdown. As of this writing, Trump has praised a new, slimmed-down version of the spending bill (as has Musk), opening the possibility of averting that outcome. But Musk’s place at the center of this process offered us a preview of the political dynamics of the Musk-Trump-GOP era: razor-thin legislative margins, chaos, governing via social-media rant, and a Game of Thrones–style jockeying for power between Musk and Trump.

Musk’s day of prolific posting was also a reminder of how little he comprehends about the U.S. government. His feverish 100-plus posts were riddled with disinformation and false claims that revealed his lack of understanding of the basics of budgeting. He got details wrong about a congressional pay raise and taxpayer funding of an NFL stadium in Washington, D.C. He pushed misinformation from a January 6 rioter who falsely claimed that the spending bill would block Republican investigation of the January 6 Select Committee. Musk exulted in the prospect of a complete government shutdown, posting that a shutdown “doesn’t actually shut down critical functions.” Although it is true that “essential functions” would continue (and that Social Security checks would still go out), contra Musk, shutdowns are neither painless nor cheap. Large swaths of the government would indeed be forced to shut down, and government employees would see delayed paychecks.

Wherever the spending bill lands, this week may mark another dramatic shift in GOP politics. For years, as a signal of their commitment to fiscal prudence, conservative Republicans have opposed raising the debt limit. Today, though, after Musk had stolen a march on him, Trump called for doing away with the debt ceiling altogether (possibly because he wants to clear the way for massive tax cuts next year). That sort of demand will force members of the Freedom Caucus to—once again—choose between fiscal conservatism and their sycophantic loyalty to the incoming president. The latest version of the spending bill, according to Trump’s social-media posts, would suspend the debt ceiling until January 2027.

Meanwhile, the president-elect has to deal with the specter of Elon Musk. As Politico’s Jonathan Martin noted on X yesterday, Musk’s moment brings with it a few potential downsides for Trump: “The Elon risk here is he’s not just diverting attention from Trump, he’s also threatening to deliver him bad press if the gov’t shuts down.” This week, Musk solidified his influence over the systems of U.S. government, but the clock may be ticking on Trump’s tolerance of that fact."

Buckwoody Egger

these republicans sure do love getting pimp slapped by the leaders of Project Atlantic City and it’s bitcoin boardwalk.  how do we coach them back to decency?

Buckwoody Egger

never mind!   lol

https://apnews.com/live/government-shutdown-congress-spending-trump-updates

Botch

Buckwoody Egger said:

never mind!   lol

https://apnews.com/live/government-shutdown-congress-spending-trump-updates

Wow. Didn’t expect that.  

Buckwoody Egger

give em a little while to sort out incentive distribution and they’ll assimilate 

lousubcap

Friday Syria update:

"Three senior State Department officials, including top Middle East envoy Barbara Leaf, are in Syria today to meet with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a State Department spokesperson said. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.

Activity by the self-styled Islamic State (IS) “has increased significantly” since the Assad regime’s overthrow, with intelligence indicating IS fighters seized some arms and ammunition left by regime troops, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said yesterday. Orla Guerin reports for BBC News; 

Non-Syrian Kurdish fighters will leave northern Syria if a total ceasefire with Turkey is reached, the SDF commander said yesterday. Orhan Qereman reports for Reuters.

The United States has 2,000 troops in Syria, more than twice previously indicated, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said yesterday, adding that the additional troops are temporary forces supporting the mission against IS fighters. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said it was Iran’s failure to resist a rebel offensive that helped bring down Bashar al-Assad. He did not address Moscow’s decision not to help Assad. Anton Troianovski reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Friday Middle East (-Syria) update:

"CIA Director William Burns has departed Qatar and is no longer in the Middle East, a U.S. official said, as Gaza talks continue with no apparent breakthrough. Karen DeYoung, Claire Parker, and Miriam Berger report for the Washington Post.

Israeli airstrikes on two schools-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 17 people yesterday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said. Israel claimed Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters. Israeli strikes killed a total of 44 people across the enclave yesterday, according to medics. AP News reports.

A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report released yesterday says there are “undeniable” signs of “ethnic cleansing” in Israel’s north Gaza offensive. In an X post, Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the report is “entirely false and misleading.” The Times of Israel reports.

The U.N. General Assembly yesterday voted to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza (137 votes in favor, 12 against, and 12 abstentions). Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

Sweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and will provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza through other channels, the country’s aid minister said today, citing the difficulty of channeling aid through the agency in light of the Israeli ban. Terje Solsvik reports for Reuters."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said he discussed with European leaders the possibility of sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or peace deal. Jenny Gross and Constant Méheut report for the Washington Post.

Ukraine launched six United States-made long-range ATACMS missiles and four United Kingdom-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia’s southern Rostov region, the Russian defence ministry said. Russian forces downed all of the ATACMS and three out of four of the Storm Shadows, the ministry said, adding that Moscow would respond to the attacks.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Donald Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities."

lousubcap

Sunday Russia-Ukraine update:

Eight Ukrainian drones hit residential buildings in the Russian city of Kazan, more than 1,000km (600 miles) from the front line, bringing the war deep into the heart of Russia. Local authorities said there were no casualties.

Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia temporarily closed Kazan international airport and cancelled all major public events in the area as a precaution.

Ukrainian officials said Moscow sent 113 drones into Ukraine overnight on Saturday, 57 of which were shot down. Another 56 drones were “lost”, likely having been electronically jammed.

Zelenskyy said he met CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine, a rare public disclosure of a meeting between the pair. He did not specify when the meeting took place but said it would be their final before Burns leaves his post as Trump takes office.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine “will definitely continue to strike at Russian military targets with drones and missiles”.

lousubcap

U.S. Super Hornet Shot Down Over Red Sea in Friendly Fire Incident; Aviators Safe

https://news.usni.org/2024/12/21/u-s-super-hornet-shot-down-over-red-sea-in-friendly-fire-incident-aviators-safe

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia’s war with Ukraine, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Monday.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over five Russian regions overnight on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged retaliation after Ukrainian drones struck residential buildings in the city of Kazan in Russia’s Tatarstan region.

Putin met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin on Sunday, a rare visit by a European Union leader to Moscow as a contract allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine nears expiry.

South Korea says North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, Yonhap news agency reported.

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a desire to meet him “as soon as possible” to discuss the war in Ukraine."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update: (slim pickins')

"Russia’s Ministry of Defence said in a post on Telegram that its air defence systems destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the Rostov Region and two over the Sea of ​​Azov.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as GUR, said in a post on Telegram that a warehouse in Russia’s Alabuga special economic zone “was destroyed” along with parts for the “Shahed” drone “worth $16 million” in a “mysterious destructive fire”.

Volunteers cleaning up a major oil spill along Russia’s Black Sea coast said they are overwhelmed and appealed to Putin for help, more than a week after two aging Russian tankers were damaged in stormy weather on their way to deliver fuel to the Russian Navy."

dbCooper

George Will tribute to Rickey Henderson . . .

Opinion

George F. Will

Rickey Henderson was about so much more than the stolen bases

In an all-time team of greats, Rickey Henderson should start in left field. He was that good.

December 22, 2024 at 6:11 p.m. ESTDecember 22, 2024

4 min

Rickey Henderson stretches during a workout at the Oakland Athletics' spring training camp in Phoenix in 1983. (Sal Veder/AP)

When Kevin Towers was the San Diego Padres’ general manager, he received a voicemail delivered in a high-pitched, high-energy voice then familiar to most baseball people: “KT! It’s Rickey! Calling about Rickey! Rickey wants to play baseball!” Rickey Henderson, in 2001, became a Padre again.

His combination of talents earned him sport’s honorific: Like the song (“Talkin’ Baseball”) that celebrated New York City’s three 1950s center fielders (“Willie, Mickey and the Duke”), Rickey’s first name sufficed.

He came from Oakland, an incubator of athletic excellence, including basketball’s Bill Russell. He became something novel: a first-ballot Hall of Famer who played for nine teams. Without today’s arcane metrics, they recognized baseball value, including a high pain threshold, when they saw it.

Baseball fans, debating the all-time best team, select three outfielders from a pantheon that includes Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente. Only two of those 10 should be in the starting lineup. Rickey should start in left field and bat first: He homered in the first inning a record 81 times.

Baseball’s objective is to score runs. Rickey scored more than anyone: 2,295. More than Cobb (2,245), Aaron or Ruth (2,174), or Mays (2,068). When Aaron retired in 1976, he probably held the record for the most records held, but he was particularly proud of his total bases: Home runs are glorious, but the game is basically about 90-foot increments. Winning is getting enough of them. Rickey’s total bases (4,588), although more than Mantle’s (4,511), do not tell the full story.

In football or basketball, an individual — a hot-handed quarterback or shooter — can take over a game. In baseball, a pitcher can dominate a game, but supposedly no batter can. Rickey could.

Tie game, bottom of the ninth, he leads off. In his crouch, with a strike zone the size of a sandwich, he walks. (He walked 496 more times than he struck out; he walked leading off an inning 796 times.) Steals second. Steals third (or gets there on a ground ball to the right side of the infield). Scores on a sacrifice fly. We’ll see you tomorrow night.

A college football coach, tired of hearing football called “a contact sport,” said: Dancing is a contact sport, football is a collision sport. Those who think baseball is for the delicate have never taken a 98 mph fastball to the ribs. Or done what Rickey did stealing bases.

Follow George F. Will

Only three players (Pete Rose, Cobb, Barry Bonds) reached base more often; no player made better use of being there than Rickey did. Mays led the National League in stolen bases four times, with a four-season total of 136, just six more than Rickey’s single-season record of 130 in 1982. His career total 1,406 steals is 468 more than Lou Brock’s second-best. He stole third — for the catcher, a shorter throw than to second — 322 times.

Think of leaping from a car going about 20 mph, landing on your chest on sunbaked dirt, approximately 2,000 times over 25 seasons, well into middle age. No player absorbed more punishment in the pursuit of excellence. Bill James, the high priest of seamheads (baseball nerds fascinated by ever-more-arcane metrics), said of Rickey, “If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.” One for his 3,055 hits (27th all-time), one for everything else.

Joe Posnanski in “The Baseball 100” says Rickey “was born on Christmas Day in 1958, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile speeding toward the hospital. ‘I was already fast,’ he said.” As an 18-year-old in Modesto, California, he stole seven in one game. He stole his last in the major leagues at 44.

Because of Rickey’s eccentricities — e.g., he framed a $1 million bonus check; think about that — he was caricatured as an athletically gifted child. The cerebral Tony La Russa, who won more games than any manager not named Connie Mack, and who managed Rickey and against him, remembers him even more for “his baseball IQ” than for his legs.

Rickey died the day before Dec. 21, the “shortest day,” with the least amount of sunlight, the beginning of winter. To baseball fans, however, it is the beginning of the end of something awful: the offseason. Forty-five seasons ago, Rickey began playing major league baseball in a way — his wanting as well as his playing — no one else has.

lousubcap

@dbCooper - that you for posting that.  Rickey was Rickey.  George Will did a masterful job with that tribute.  

lousubcap

Xmas Russia-Ukraine update:

"The estimated contingent of 12,000 North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region has not yet had a major impact on the course of the conflict, said Yevgen Yerin, the spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence service. The North Koreans have little experience of modern warfare, particularly with drones, and use tactics that are “primitive, linked, frankly speaking, more to the times of the Second World War”, Yerin said.

Ukraine said Russia had attacked it with 60 drones overnight on Monday, of which 36 were downed, 23 were jammed by electronic warfare and one was still in the air at the time of reporting. The Ukrainian Air Force said drones had been shot down in eight regions across the country on Tuesday.

President Zelenskyy gave his Christmas greetings in a video address on Tuesday night, as Ukraine officially marks the holiday on December 25th for only the second year. Zelenskyy signed legislation in July 2023 to bring Ukraine’s public Christmas holiday in line with the majority of other European countries, rather than the later date followed in Russia.

In his Christmas Eve address, Zelenskyy fired a shot at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, incorporating a direct quote from a recent address by Putin to reporters where he implied Moscow’s war on Ukraine was exciting. “These words are proof of how far they [Russians] are from God, from Christianity, and from true faith,” Zelenskyy said. “All we need is to live peacefully on our own land, to see the sun, our sky, and in it – a Christmas star – not Iranian Shaheds and Russian missiles,” he added."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian and Ukrainian forces have once again engaged in fierce battles around the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s General Staff said that 35 Russian attacks were reported around the city on Wednesday. “Three Russian armies are concentrated here against us,” Ukraine’s regional commander Viktor Trehubov was quoted as saying.

Russia launched a huge Christmas Day attack on Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the “inhumane” attack from Russia, which included more than 170 missiles and drones, some of which knocked out power in several regions of the country.

United States President Joe Biden said the “outrageous attack was designed to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid”.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, saying there was “no respite even at Christmas”."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Ukrainian military claimed its air force had carried out a strike on a military-industrial facility in the Russian town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in the Rostov region over the previous few days. The facility was used to produce solid fuel for ballistic missiles used in Russian attacks on Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it shot down 20 drones out of 31 launched by Russia overnight.

China’s President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next year, Russia’s state-run RIA news agency quoted Russian ambassador to Beijing Igor Morgulov as saying on Friday. He said that Russia and China had to respond to United States policy jointly, referring to alleged NATO plans to “move its military infrastructure” into the Asia Pacific region. China has put forward a peace plan with Brazil to end the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the two countries will continue to implement the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty – which includes a mutual defence pact – that they signed in June, North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported on Friday.

Putin said on Thursday that he was open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine. “We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position,” he said after a visit by Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to the Kremlin this week."

lousubcap

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian forces have killed or wounded more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers Russia has sent to fight them, according to Ukraine and South Korea. “Their losses are significant, very significant. We see that neither the Russian military nor their North Korean overseers have any interest in ensuring the survival of these North Koreans,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Friday. United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, meanwhile, said a “human wave” of North Korean troops was being sent to their deaths in “hopeless” attacks by generals who saw them as expendable.

Ukrainian air defence shot down 13 out of 24 Russian drones launched in an overnight attack, the air force said on Friday. The air force said the other 11 Russian drones were “lost” without causing damage.

Ukraine received its first batch of liquefied natural gas from the US, a deal that Kyiv says is key to boost Ukrainian and European energy security as a major gas transit deal with Russia ends. “Dtek, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, has today taken delivery of its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States,” the company said on Friday."

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Monday that its air defences downed 21 out of 43 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack. The attack targeted six regions across the country, the air force said, adding that 22 other drones were “lost”.

The United States announced a $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine on Monday, seen as part of Washington’s efforts to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The aid includes a $1.25 billion military “drawdown package”, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from US stocks and send them quickly to the battlefield.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday that the country would scrap a moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear missiles because the United States had “arrogantly ignored the warnings of Russia and China” and deployed “weapons of this class” in various parts of the world. Russia’s move will kill off all that remains of the New START treaty on nuclear weapons reduction, amid fears of a new arms race."

lousubcap

The latest from Russia and CHEETO's Russia-Ukraine peace plan:
Short version-NFW!
https://nxslink.thehill.com/view/64e0d818fa01688bf40b2e83mmz2a.4lb/9b827252

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"A Ukrainian drone attack in the western Russia region of Smolensk, which borders Ukraine, caused a fuel spill and fire at an oil depot. The local governor said Russian air defence systems “suppressed an attack by Ukrainian” drones in Yartsevo district.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported 68 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were downed overnight with 10 destroyed over the Smolensk region.

The United States also announced an additional $3.4bn in economic assistance to help Ukraine’s government and prop up its infrastructure with Biden stating he ordered his government to provide “as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible”.

Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and other officials met Ukraine’s foreign minister with Syria expressing hopes of establishing “strategic partnerships” between the two countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to promote “world peace” in a New Year’s message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, saying “China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party”.

In a letter to mark the New Year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended his greetings to his “dearest friend and comrade” Putin, the Russian people and Russian military personnel."

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday one of its naval drones – the Magura V5 maritime drone – destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and damaged another one in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday its forces hit a Russian oil depot in the Smolensk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late on Tuesday that no one would give peace to his country as a gift, but he believed the United States would stand alongside Kyiv as it fights to stop Russia’s 34-month invasion.

Russia’s once-dominant gas supply to Europe via Ukraine, which flowed for decades, has ended with the collapse of a contract between the two warring countries that paid out billions to Moscow in gas revenue and to Kyiv in transit fees.

Slovakia has said it will not risk a gas shortage with Ukraine stopping the transit of Russian supplies via its territory, but it will have to pay an extra 177 million euros ($184m) in fees for alternative routes, according to the country’s Ministry of Economy."

lousubcap

Thursday Syria update:

"Syria’s rebel administration gave some foreign jihadist fighters senior roles in Damascus’ new armed forces, according to Syrian sources. An Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) source said the appointments are a “token of recognition” of the “sacrifices” of Islamist jihadists in the struggle against former president Bashar Assad. Timour Azhari, Khalil Ashawi, and Suleiman Al-Khalidi report for Reuters.

Elections in Syria may not be held “for up to four years,” HTS head and the country’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Sunday, citing the need to prepare the infrastructure. Nadeen Ebrahim and Mostafa Salem report for CNN.

France carried out missile strikes last weekend on the self-styled Islamic State group’s sites in Syria, the country’s armed forces minister said on Tuesday. Sudip Kar-Gupta reports for Reuters.

The ceasefire between Turkey and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces is holding in northern Syria, the Pentagon said on Monday. Idrees Ali reports for Reuters."

lousubcap

Thursday Middle East (-Syria) update:

"The Palestinian Authority yesterday temporarily suspended Al-Jazeera’s West Bank broadcasts and operations, accusing the network of “provok[ing] strife and interfer[ing] in Palestinian internal affairs,” the official Palestinian news agency said. Abeer Salman, Hira Humayun, and Kareem El Damanhoury report for CNN.

Israeli attacks on hospitals pushed Gaza's healthcare system to “the brink of total collapse” and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report published Tuesday. The report covers the conflict from Oct. 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024. David Gritten reports for BBC News.

The U.S. military said on Tuesday it carried out a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. A Houthi spokesperson said the group will “confront any escalation by escalating.” Adam Rasgon reports for the New York Times. 

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. on Monday issued a “final warning” to Houthi militants to halt missile attacks on Israel, saying they risk the same “miserable fate” as “Hamas, Hezbollah, and Assad.” Daphne Psaledakis and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Ukrainian military said it shot down 63 out of 111 drones launched by Russia overnight on Wednesday, while 46 had been downed by electronic jamming.

Ukraine’s Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii visited Ukrainian forces in the Russian border region of Kursk and said that the Russian army had lost more than 34,000 soldiers, either dead or wounded, in their attempts to drive Ukrainian soldiers out of Russian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government and the country’s biggest bank, Sberbank, to build cooperation with China in artificial intelligence. Putin’s instructions were published on the Kremlin’s website, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with BRICS partners and other countries to develop AI."

lousubcap

Friday Middle East update including Syria:

"An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Doha today to continue negotiations on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. Dana Karni and Mitchell McCluskey report for CNN.

U.N. officials say they are preparing to shutter the aid agency for Palestinians’ (UNRWA) operations in Gaza and the West Bank ahead of the Israeli ban on cooperation with the agency coming into force later this month. Jack Nicas reports for the New York Times.

Israel’s military yesterday confirmed it raided and dismantled an underground missile production site in Syria in September, saying the site was backed by Iran and used to manufacture precision missiles for Hezbollah. James Mackenzie reports for Reuters.

The foreign ministers of Germany and France will meet Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief and Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus today on behalf of the European Union, the ministries announced. Miranda Murray, John Irish, and Dominique Vidalon report for Reuters."