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

lousubcap

And some commerce/business related news: (From Bloomberg-)

"Nippon Steel will buy United States Steel for $14.1 billion to create the world’s second-largest steel company with a key role in supplying American manufacturers and automakers. The deal caps months of uncertainty over the future of US Steel, which has been considering potential transactions since it rejected another offer for $7.25 billion in mid-August. For American industry, the takeover will mark the end of an era. US Steel traces its roots back to 1901 when J. Pierpont Morgan merged a collection of assets with Andrew Carnegie’s Carnegie Steel Co.

BP said it will pause all shipments through the Red Sea after attacks on merchant vessels escalated, adding to signs that trade through the vital waterway is grinding to a halt. BP’s decision, the most tangible sign of disruption to energy flows since the Israel-Hamas war started, comes days after all the world’s top container shipping lines said they were temporarily halting. The Iran-backed Houthis say they are targeting any vessels with a connection to Israel as a response to that country’s war with Hamas, in which Israel has killed more than 19,000 Palestinians. Attacks on ships are now occurring almost daily. On Monday, the US announced a new task force to counter the Red Sea threat."

lousubcap

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023

Worth the read- From Tom Nichols of "The Atlantic"

Many Americans—of both parties—have become untethered from reality. When the voters become incoherent, electing leaders becomes a reality show instead of a solemn civic obligation.

It’s been a stormy Monday on the East Coast, but with all respect to the Carpenters, I happen to like rainy days and Mondays. So I promise that what I am about to say is not the result of the rain or any Monday blues.

Millions of American voters appear to have lost their grip on reality.

I have been thinking (and writing) about the problem of poorly informed citizens for a long time. Low-information voters are a normal part of the political landscape; in the 21st century, democracies face the added danger of disinformation efforts from authoritarians at home and hostile powers overseas.

But America faces an even more fundamental challenge as the 2024 elections approach: For too many voters, nothing seems to matter. And I mean nothing. Donald Trump approvingly quotes Russian President Vladimir Putin and evokes the language of Adolf Hitler, and yet Americans are so accustomed to Trump’s rhetoric at this point that the story gets relegated to page A10 of the Sunday Washington Post. Joe Biden presides over an economic “soft landing” that almost no one thought could happen, and his approval rating drops to 33 percent—below Jimmy Carter’s in the summer of 1980, when American hostages were being held in Iran, and inflation, at more than 14 percent, was well into a second year of double digits. (Inflation is currently 3.1 percent—and likely will go lower.)

My concern here is not that people aren’t taking Trump’s threat seriously enough (even if they aren’t) or that Biden isn’t getting some of the credit he deserves (even if he isn’t). Rather, the political reactions of American voters seem completely detached from anything that’s happened over the past several years, or even from things that are happening right now. We use vibes to talk about all of this: We’re not in an actual recession, just a “vibecession,” where people feel like it’s a recession.

But you can’t solve imaginary recessions with real policies, just as you can’t cure imagined diseases with real medicine. We are experiencing a kind of political and economic hypochondria, where our good test results can’t possibly be true.

Consider, for example, that last month, Americans felt worse about the economy than they did in April 2009. The key word is feel, because by any standard remotely tied to this planet, it is delusional to think that things are worse today than during the meltdown of the Great Recession. As James Surowiecki (a contributing writer for The Atlantic) dryly observedon X about the comparison to 2009, “It’s true that if you ignore the 9% unemployment rate, the financial system melting down, the millions of people being foreclosed on and losing their homes, and the plummeting stock market decimating people's retirements, it was better. But why would you do that?”

For many reasons, people often say things are bad when they’re good. Even during the best times, someone is hurting. But a simple and very human phenomenon, as I wrote a few years ago, is that people can feel reluctant to jinx the good times by acknowledging them. And of course, partisanship makes people change their views of the economy literally overnight. The media, especially, enables the obsession with bad news. Too many stories about good economic reports (especially on television) are tied to the trope that begins: Not everyone is benefiting, however. Here’s a town … 

Such stories are in the name of not forgetting the poor, the dispossessed, the left-behind. The reader or viewer of such stories might be moved to say, “There but for the grace of God go I,” but more likely they will reach the conclusion that the good economic news is a fluke and the destitution before them is the ongoing reality.

A much deeper and more stubborn problem, however, is that Americans, for at least 30 years or more, have developed immense expectations and a powerful sense of entitlement because of years of rising living standards. They are hypersensitive to any change or setback that produces a gap between how they live and how they expect to live—a disconnect that is unbridgeable by any politician.

Trump deals with this disconnect by encouraging it. He indulges his base by talking about “carnage” and the collapse of America, about how terrible things are, how much better they were, and how they’ll be good again in a year. Biden and the Democrats, still tethered to reality, gamely respond with data. Hussein Ibish recently wrote in The Atlantic that Biden can win with this approach: “Biden should ask voters Ronald Reagan’s classic question: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? The answer can only be yes.”

But I think Ibish is being too optimistic. In general, reality-based voters would answer yes. But what if the voters say no?

Even in casual conversations, I find myself flummoxed by people who argue, with much conviction, that America is in fact worse off, even if their own situation is better. When I respond by noting that inflation is not going up, say, or that America is at full employment, or that wages are outpacing prices, or that pay is increasing fastest for the lowest-paid workers, none of it matters. Instead, I get a response that is so common I can now see it coming every time: a head shake, a sigh, and then a comment about how everything is just such a mess.

And yet, after all of the hand-wringing about all the mess, people aren’t acting as if they’re living in an economic crisis. As my colleague Annie Lowrey pointed out recently, few people are spending less, no matter how much they carp about inflation; in surveys, she notes, “people say that they are trading down because of cost pressures. But in fact they are spending more than they ever have, even after accounting for higher prices. They’re spending not just on the necessities, but on fun stuff—amusement parks, UberEats.”

Such paradoxes suggest that dumping on the economy has transcended partisanship or the news cycle and is now a fashion, a kind of expected response, a way of identifying ourselves—no matter what we really believe—as a friend of the downtrodden, a reflex that prevents people from saying that they are doing well and the country seems to be doing fine. No one, after all, wants to get yelled at by the local Helen Lovejoy.

For now, I am going to hope that what we’re seeing is the classic problem of lag: The data are good, but people are still thinking about their situation three months ago—you know, back when the 2023 economy was worse than the Great Recession—and that perceptions will catch up. Abraham Lincoln implored citizens in 1838 to rely on “cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason.” But if Americans are now stuck in the mode where nothing but vibes and feelings matter, much more is at risk than one or two elections. No democracy can long survive an electorate whose only guidance is emotion."

lousubcap

Tuesday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel will gradually move to the next phase in the war, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said yesterday, following talks with U.S. officials on moving to lower intensity combat. Gallant said the local population will be able to return to the north of Gaza, although no timeline was provided. Gallant added, “Soon we will be able to distinguish between different areas of Gaza.” Phil Stewart reports for Reuters.

The U.N. Security Council is due to hold a second ceasefire vote today, following yesterday’s delay to allow redrafting the resolution’s language from calling for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” to a “suspension of hostilities, in hopes of avoiding another veto by the US. Yolande Knell reports for BBC News.

Gas stations in Iran have been targeted in a cyberattack causing nationwide disruption to fuel stations, Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji said yesterday. The hacking group — named as Gonjeshke Darande or “predatory sparrow” — accuses Iran of having links to Israel, according to Iranian state media.  The cyberattack was “in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region,” the group said in a statement on Telegram. Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich said in response, “We have nothing to say about Iran’s claims.” Reuters reports.

CIA Director Bill Burns met yesterday with the head of Mossad and the Qatari Prime Minister in Warsaw to discuss a potential new hostage release deal, according to two U.S. and Israeli officials. The meeting took place three days after Qatar and Mossad initially held bilateral talks to try to relaunch another deal. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Israel is closer today to war with Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah than yesterday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said yesterday. “If we look at the amount of attacks and aggression that Hezbollah has mounted against Israel, more than a thousand different pieces of [ammunition] that have been fired at Israel, specifically by Hezbollah, then by any means, we could have been at war with Hezbollah long, long ago. And based solely on their actions, their violation of Israeli sovereignty and the casualties that they have caused … I think that we are — and without being cheeky — we are closer today to war than we were yesterday.” ABC News reports. 

Israel told the Biden administration it wants Hezbollah to move approximately six miles from the border — far enough away that they will not be able to fire at Israeli towns along the border — in a diplomatic deal to end the rising tensions with Lebanon, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. President Biden’s senior adviser, Amos Hochstein, has been working on a diplomatic solution which would allow evacuated Israeli citizens who moved from the border in response to the rising tensions to return to their hometowns. U.S. officials have asked Israel to not exacerbate the situation while diplomacy talks are continuing. Barak Ravid reports for Axios."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian top general Oleksandr Tarnavaskyi said Ukraine is downsizing some military operations due to ammunition shortages along the “entire front line." He told the Reuters news agency that front-line troops faced shortages of artillery shells – particularly Soviet-era 122mm and 152mm ammunition – and had scaled back some military operations because of a shortfall of foreign assistance.He said that his troops are having to change tactics in the way they continue offensive actions due to a lack of resources. Abdujalil Abdurasulov and Daniel Thomas report for BBC News.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the situation on the front line was not at a stalemate, after suggesting last month that it was a possibility. He declined to comment on the coming counteroffensive operations. “This is a war. I can’t say what I plan, what we should do. Otherwise, it will be a show, not a war,” Ukraine’s RBC media quoted him as saying.

The White House is planning one more package of military aid for Ukraine before the end of the year. Kirby told reporters there will be an announcement of further aid before the end of December, although details of the aid sum or equipment has not been provided yet. Brett Samuels reports for The Hill."

lousubcap

Here's some info on the Red Sea Naval protection plan just established and background on the Houthis:

"The new 10-nation coalition effort is called Operation Prosperity Guardian, and it includes the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain. Representatives from 43 nations met with Austin on Monday to discuss the initiative, which will fall under an existing U.S.-led naval coalition for the region known as Task Force 153.

 An estimated 10 to 15% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, Austin said in a statement Monday. Because of the Houthis’ attacks, “international shipping companies are having to reroute through the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to the delivery of key goods and materials, including oil and gas,” Austin said. 

Worth noting: The Houthis “were on the receiving end of an intensive Saudi-Emirati air campaign for five years, they can absorb a couple symbolic airstrikes on radar sites or missile hides,” said security analyst Alex Almeida, writing on social media Monday. “The thing they want most is to get bombed by the U.S.”

 Rewind: The Houthis stepped up their attacks around the Red Sea after October 17, when an errant Hamas rocket caused a deadly explosion at the al-Ahli Hospital explosion in Gaza City. The group has attacked Israel at least nine different times using a variety of cruise missiles and drones, according to a recent policy analysis by Mike Knights of the Washington Institute. The Houthis have also shot down a U.S. Predator drone on November 8 and used a helicopter to hijack the Israeli-owned, Japanese-leased tanker Galaxy Leader on November 19.

 Big picture: “The Houthis are an expansionist power, with deep animosity toward Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States,” Knights writes. They “display a level of ideological determination and ambition almost unique among Iran’s partners in the axis of resistance,” he continues. “This is partly because the Houthis “are inured to war after spending almost all of the last twenty years in conflict with domestic enemies and nearly ten fighting Saudi Arabia.” What’s more, “Their leadership is well hidden.”

 But perhaps more importantly, “the Israel-Hamas war has caught Israel in a pincer between northern and southern arms of Iran-organized opponents” with the Houthis in the south and Hezbollah to the north in Lebanon, Knights explains. And this virtually guarantees the Houthis’ continued existence, even if Yemeni peace talks with the Saudis collapse, which—given Riyadh’s interest after nearly nine years of a failed war—doesn’t seem likely. But those talks are still ongoing, with no clear end in sight. 

 The U.S. perhaps ought to aim for “containing” the Houthis as best they can,similar to the North-South divide on the Korean peninsula, Knights advises. But there are more aggressive measures available to the U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia, he adds. Such sensitive targets include “drone and missile storage sites; irreplaceable helicopters and fixed- wing aircraft; Iranian and Hezbollah specialists and advisors; liquid-fuel systems and storage; and the antishipping capabilities they have built, including ‘mother ships’ and ‘spy dhows’ operating far from Houthi-held areas.” Read the rest, here. "

lousubcap

Israel-Hamas Wednesday update:

"Israel is offering Hamas a one-week temporary fighting pause as part of a new deal for the release of more than three dozen hostages held by Hamas, two Israeli officials said. The proposal was brokered by Qatari mediators, much like the initial deal which saw the release of more than 100 hostages and a seven day cease-fire. Israel also suggested it may release Palestinian prisoners who have been convicted of more serious attacks on Israel than those released in the initial deal; many of such prisoners are elderly or otherwise ill, according to Israeli officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Hamas has engaged in discussions with its Palestinian rivals Fatah, the dominant faction of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, on plans for a post-war Gaza and West Bank. “We don’t fight just because we want to fight. We are not partisans of a zero-sum game,” said Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’ Doha-based political bureau. Divisions between the Hamas military wing, the politburo, and its officials in Gaza, have deepened since the war broke out. The head of Hamas’ military wing, Yahya Sinwar, demanded the discussions ended as soon as he found out, those familiar with the talks said. Benoi Faucon, Summer Said, and Dov Lieber report for the Wall Street Journal.

“The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis in ending the occupation and resolving the conflict in line with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions and bilateral agreements in pursuit of two States – Israel and an independent, democratic, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, of which Gaza is an integral part – living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States,” the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said yesterday in a U.N. briefing. 

The IDF said it has located 1,500 tunnel shafts in Gaza since the war broke out. In an update on X, they added that IDF troops “identified an explosive device planted in a medical clinic near a school in Shejaiya,” and said operational activity in Khan Yunis is continuing. 

Forty trucks carrying commercial goods including flour, oil, and salt crossed into the Gaza Strip yesterday, the first time for commercial goods to enter the region since the Oct. 7 attacks, a Palestinian border crossing spokesperson said. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia would be willing to talk to Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe, about Ukraine’s future, but added that Russia would uphold and defend its “national interests” in such discussions. Guy Gaulconbridge reports for Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday his commanders are seeking up to 500,000 extra people to assist in his country’s fight against Russia. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.

Ukraine’s military said Russia launched its fifth air attack this month on the capital, with air defence systems destroying all weapons on their approach to Kyiv. “According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital,” Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it brought down a Ukrainian drone near the capital that led to restrictions on flights at Moscow’s main airports. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine said its military was holding the line in the eastern Kharkiv region, despite being outgunned by Russian forces trying to take control of the town of Kupiansk. “The situation is complicated. We have to fight in conditions of superiority of the enemy both in weapons and in the number of personnel,” said Oleksandr Syrsky, the head of Ukraine’s ground forces. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had repelled eight Ukrainian attacks around Kupiansk with artillery."

lousubcap

Thursday Red Sea USA-Houthi update:

DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) – The leader of Yemen’s Houthis warned on Wednesday they would strike U.S. warships if the Iranian-backed militia was targeted by Washington, which this week set up a multinational force to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, have since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, attacks it says respond to Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

The U.S.-led security initiative will see Washington and ten other, mostly NATO countries patrol the Red Sea to deter and respond to future Houthi attacks that have so far led to major global shipping lines rerouting around Africa instead.

“We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it,” Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said.

“Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations,” he said in a televised speech."

lousubcap

Thursday Israel-Hamas update:

"The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday delayed a vote calling for a halt to hostilities in the Hamas-Israel war and an increase in humanitarian aid, the third such postponement this week. Sticking points reportedly included U.S. reluctance to agree to language calling for a “cessation of hostilities” and a Gaza Strip monitoring mechanism under the authority of the U.N. Secretary General, although President Joe Biden maintained that the United States still supported a resolution in principle. Becky Anderson, Michael Williams, Kevin Liptak and Jennifer Deaton report for CNN.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a new vote today on the resolution“calling for enhanced humanitarian aid into Gaza and a cessation of hostilities,” reports Leila Sackur for NBC News.

Hamas’s top political leader arrived in Egypt to hold talks about a possible ceasefire with Israel, while diplomats at the U.N. Security Council separately sought to reach agreement on a new version of the draft ceasefire resolution. In Egypt, mediators from Egypt and Qatar sought to broker a Hamas-Israel deal that might involve a temporary ceasefire in exchange for release of hostages taken on Oct. 7. Meanwhile, diplomats at the U.N. Security Council worked separately on a revised draft resolution that they hoped would pass muster with the United States. Another key sticking point was a proposed U.N.-led mechanism for inspecting aid deliveries, which Israel opposed because it left them with no role in searching incoming cargo. Farnaz Fassihi, Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"A false rumor that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy used U.S. aid money to purchase yachts was picked up by members of the U.S. Congress debating military spending. Disinformation researchers tracked the original rumor to a website run by a former U.S. Marine now living in Russia and said that the channels through which it spread were part of a larger pro-Russian propaganda campaign. Olga Robinson, Shayan Sardarizadeh and Mike Wendling report for BBC News.

Fueled by the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions, trade between Russia and China surpassed $200 billion during the first 11 months of this year. Russia is turning to China for everything from “cars to computer chips” while Russia has sold oil and natural gas to China at deep discounts. Keith Bradsher reports for the New York Times.

Ukraine’s Air Force said air defence systems destroyed 18 out of 19 Russian attack drones and that Russia fired two surface-to-air guided missiles at Kharkiv. No casualties were reported.

Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun acknowledged that Russian forces were gaining ground around the industrial city of Avdiivka. Sthupun told Ukrainian television the Russians had “advanced by one and a half to two kilometres [0.3 to 1.2 miles] in some places” since October 10, but it had “cost them a lot”.

The evening update from the Ukrainian General Staff reported 89 incidents of Russian ground attacks on seven sections of a front line that extends for about 1,000km (600 miles). There were 31 attacks near Avdiivka, it added.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces are taking up a more defensive posture after a months-long counteroffensive failed to achieve a significant breakthrough, the United Kingdom’s Defence Ministry said in its latest assessment of the war. It said Ukraine was improving field fortifications along the front line.

The Kremlin said there was no current basis for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and that Kyiv’s proposed peace plan was absurd because it excluded Russia. “We really consider that the topic of negotiations is not relevant right now,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow."

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/Reevesity/status/1737424418844934258?s=20

That's a lot of drones. Unfortunately, I've read that Russia can produce twice that many. Fortunately, it turns out Ukrainian drone pilots are much better than Russian drone crews.

Speaking of drones, it seems the DOD is now concerned about the cost of using $2 million dollar missiles to shoot down $2,000 Houthi drones. Meanwhile the military-industrial complex just smiles.

Gulfcoastguy

$2 million is cheap compared to a 20 foot hole in a ship. They are a few months away from installing 150kW lasers in some navy ships that would mean about $1 a shot. 

lousubcap

I'm surprised that they aren't using their shipboard guns. 

HeavyG

lousubcap said:

I'm surprised that they aren't using their shipboard guns. 

From what I've read the vast majority of drones are flying to Israel & Saudi Arabia and may already be too far from the ship for guns to be effective by the time they appear on ship radar.
The ship attacks are mostly simple ballistic missiles and I have no idea how effective any defensive weapons measures taken against those have been. They have hit a couple ships with their drones but the drones don't have a weapon strong enough to do serious damage to the ship. What I've read is that the weapon is about 40 pounds of explosive and a lot of ball bearings so basically an airborne shrapnel grenade - which is rather effective as one killed a few Bahraini soldiers in Saudi Arabia a few days ago.

lousubcap

Friday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel dropped hundreds of large bombs capable of killing people more than 1,000 feet away in the first month of the war, including hundreds of 2,000-pound bombs, in a high-intensity offensive that “had not been since since Vietnam,” according to an analysis by CNN. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, indicated that Israel may accept a U.S.-devised plan for a reconstructed Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip. “Israel is aware of the desire of the international community and the countries of the region to integrate the Palestinian Authority the day after Hamas, and we make[sic] it clear that the matter will require a fundamental reform of the Palestinian Authority,” Hanegbi said, adding that Israel “is ready for this effort.” The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority previously said he is prepared to rule the Gaza Strip providing there is a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military. David S. Cloud reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Israel struck at least three locations it directed civilians to evacuate to in Gaza, following the breakdown of the fighting pause deal with Hamas. While the IDF has provided regular updates on evacuation locations, the power and telecommunications blackouts in Gaza raised concerns about the capacity of civilians to access such instructions. Jake Tacchi reports for CNN.

Hamas rejected a proposed Israeli one-week ceasefire deal in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, with Hamas officials stating yesterday that discussions of hostage-releases would not take place without a more permanent ceasefire. Meanwhile an Arabic statement shared on Telegram by Hamas said, “There is a Palestinian national decision that there should be no talk about prisoners or exchange deals except after a comprehensive cessation of aggression.”  Molly Hunter reports for NBC News.

The entire population of the Gaza Strip – some 2.3 million – are facing a “risk of famine,” according to a report released yesterday by the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. The risk is “increasing each day” as the war continues, the report states.

The U.S. is moving closer to supporting a U.N. Security Council vote on humanitarian aid for Gaza, the U.S. Ambassador confirmed last night, saying it is a “very strong resolution” which the U.S. “can support.” The vote has been delayed several times in hopes of preventing another U.S. veto, with the sticking point yesterday appearing to focus on the draft resolution proposing to have a U.N. mechanism to monitor aid into Gaza. The U.S. argued such a proposal would reduce Israel’s control of the screening process, as Israel currently monitors all aid and fuel deliveries into Gaza. Arab nations argued that an impartial U.N. mechanism is required for the resolution to be meaningful. Francesca Gillett and Nada Tawfik report for BBC News.

Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah directly hit “gatherings of enemy soldiers” this morning at Shomera barracks in Northern Israel using rockets and artillery, while the IDF said it identified launches from Lebanon and “struck the sources of the fire with artillery” including stirking “Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.” Leila Sackur reports for NBC News.

Over 20 countries are now party to the new U.S.-led Red Sea “coalition of the willing,” which safeguards maritime traffic from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, the Pentagon announced yesterday. Eight of the countries that have signed up to the agreement are not publicly named, indicating the political sensitivities of the operations. Phil Stewart reports for Reuters."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Male Ukrainian citizens aged between 25-60 living abroad will be asked to report for military service. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described the policy as an “invitation” to serve, although there were suggestions that noncompliance would lead to sanctions. A Ukrainian spokesperson later said that the option of no call-up was also being considered. Robert Greenall reports for BBC News.

Kyiv suffered mass drone attacks overnight injuring two people and caused damage to residential buildings; Ukraine’s air defenses said it shot down 24 out of 28 drone attacks. Reuters reports."

lousubcap

An update on the UN Humanitarian aid for Gaza resolution addressed earlier today-

GAZA RESOLUTION PASSED: The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution today to ramp up international humanitarian aid to Gaza, after days of negotiations amid a push from the U.S. to tone down the language, our own MONA ZHANG reports.

Both the U.S. and Russia ultimately abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass with unanimous support from the rest of the Security Council, which includes the United Kingdom, China and France as permanent members.

The vote on the resolution was delayed for four days in hopes of avoiding a U.S. veto. In the end, a week of tense negotiations yielded text that the U.S. had said Thursday night it would not vote down.

In a statement after the vote, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General AGNÈS CALLAMARD applauded the resolution’s passage but called it “woefully insufficient. … Nothing short of an immediate ceasefire is enough to alleviate the mass civilian suffering we are witnessing.”

The White House has resisted pressure to call for a cease-fire, arguing Hamas could use that to regroup and again attack Israel."

lousubcap

And this from Politico regarding Iran and the Houthi Red Sea attacks:

IRAN SUPPORT TO HOUTHIS: Newly declassified intelligence shows that Iran was “deeply involved” in planning the Houthis’ attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to NSC spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON, as our own LARA SELIGMANwrites in.

Without Iranian support — including the provision of advanced weapons, tactical intelligence, monitoring systems and financial aid — the Houthis would “struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating” those waters, Watson said.

Iran has sent arms to the Houthis since 2015, including drones, cruise and ballistic missiles that U.S. intelligence analysis has linked to the recent attacks, Watson said. For example, on Oct. 19 the Houthis launched a complex, long-range attack against Israel using at least 29 KAS-04 drones and three land attack cruise missiles similar to Iranian systems.

“We have no reason to believe that Iran is trying to dissuade the Houthis from this reckless behavior,” Watson said.

lousubcap

A video of the massive wave that dang near capsized a 400 passenger cruise ship:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh74cVb6tao&t=50s

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap said:

A video of the massive wave that dang near capsized a 400 passenger cruise ship:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh74cVb6tao&t=50s

I was just reading about this.  It was categorized as a “rogue wave”.  I think we still don’t understand the conditions that tend to give rise to those.  

fishlessman

You can add at least half the height of the rogue to the depth of the trough up front before it hits you.....You drop down, hit the floor, it's a fast elevator ride back up in a small boat. At least it's over quickly on a good day. Probably more like getting hit by lightning so I'm good now

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed Russian troops had gained full control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Marinka in what would be their first major breakthrough since the capture of Bakhmut back in May. Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun denied the Russian claims. “It’s not correct to talk about seizing Marinka,” he told national television. “Our forces are within the city.”

Ukraine said it shot down 28 of 31 drones launched by Russia overnight as well as two missiles mostly targeting the south of the country.

Russian and Ukrainian military officials both reported bringing down enemy aircraft in different areas of the 1,000km-long (621-mile) front line. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, said Ukrainian anti-aircraft units had hit a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber near the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Russia’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defence systems shot down four Ukrainian military aircraft over the previous 24 hours."

lousubcap

Tuesday Israel-Hamas update:

"The Israeli military says the air force hit 100 targets in the south of the Gaza Strip in 24 hours.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says war will not stop and he is ready to encourage Palestinians in Gaza to leave the enclave, according to Israeli media reports. Hamas has condemned the statement.

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza "will be a long fight" and is far from ending, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday after he returned from a trip to the enclave. It comes after Netanyahu said the military was "intensifying" operations in Gaza."

lousubcap

Red Sea and Houthis Wednesday update:

"U.S. assets, to include the USS LABOON (DDG 58) and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis over a 10 hour period which began at approximately 6:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on December 26. There was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries."

And from India-

https://gcaptain.com/indian-navy-destroyers-drone-strike/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-153637c0ef-170052525&mc_cid=153637c0ef&mc_eid=10465e83ed

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine said it destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship in an attack on a naval base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russia acknowledged the ship had been damaged and that the attack started a fire which was brought under control. One person was killed and four injured.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said his troops remained on the northern edge of Marinka after Russia’s defence minister said Moscow was in control of the now-ruined town, a short drive from the Russian-occupied regional centre of Donetsk. Zaluzhnyi said Marinka “no longer existed” due to the destruction wreaked upon it.

Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defence systems destroyed 13 of the 19 drones Russia launched against Ukraine during the night."

lousubcap

Wednesday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel's military chief said the war against Hamas in Gaza will continue for "many more months," echoing comments from Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the conflict is far from ending. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said Israel is in a "multi-arena war" in the region.

A Netanyahu ally met with senior US officials to discuss the transition to a new phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets, a White House official told CNN. They also spoke about steps to improve the humanitarian situation, hostages, and plans for post-war Gaza.

Fighting rages on: The IDF is using ground, air, and naval troops to strike at what it says are "terror targets" in Gaza, according to a statement Tuesday. It comes as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 20,000, with nearly 55,000 others wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in the strip. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers released by the ministry in Gaza, as access to the enclave is limited and reliable numbers are hard to confirm amid the fighting.

Aid hurdles: The IDF has claimed there are "logistical limitations" to getting aid into Gaza, and has urged "the international community to find additional solutions," as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the region. The comments come after Israel announced that it will stop automatically granting visas to United Nations workers, intensifying tensions between Israel and the UN."

HeavyG

lousubcap said:

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine said it destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship in an attack on a naval base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russia acknowledged the ship had been damaged and that the attack started a fire which was brought under control. One person was killed and four injured.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said his troops remained on the northern edge of Marinka after Russia’s defence minister said Moscow was in control of the now-ruined town, a short drive from the Russian-occupied regional centre of Donetsk. Zaluzhnyi said Marinka “no longer existed” due to the destruction wreaked upon it.

Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defence systems destroyed 13 of the 19 drones Russia launched against Ukraine during the night."

"Russia acknowledged the ship had been damaged and that the attack started a fire which was brought under control."

The video of that spectacular explosion says otherwise.

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update : (sources are slim).

"Two people were killed and four others injured in the southern Odesa region after Russian forces sent dozens of attack drones over Ukraine in a nighttime air raid.

The Ukraine air force said it shot down 32 of the 46 Iranian-made drones that Russia had launched with the others mostly hitting near the front line, mainly in the southern Kherson region. Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the attack on the Kherson region and its capital hit residential areas and a mall as well as striking the power grid, leaving about 70 percent of households in Kherson city without electricity.

The Institute for the Study of War said that Russia’s claimed capture this week of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine would not provide it with a springboard for major battlefield gains. But it noted that “localised Russian offensive operations are still placing pressure on Ukrainian forces in many places along the front in eastern Ukraine”."

lousubcap

Thursday Israel-Hamas update:

"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned residents across parts of central Gaza, including the Al-Bureij refugee camp, to evacuate to shelters. The warning came after the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported at least 50 people had been killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz warned that time is running out to reach a diplomatic solution to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. There have been a series of tit-for-tat exchanges on Israel's northern border.

A large fire broke out in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah after an Israeli strike targeted tents with displaced people in the Tal az-Zohour neighbourhood.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut reports that Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that additional reinforcements have been sent into the outskirts of Khan Younis, the south of the Palestinian territory.

Raids continue all over the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith and Imran Khan reported, adding that the raids hit the centre of Ramallah on Wednesday night which is the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority."

lousubcap

From Gallup-12 interesting survey results of 2023:

https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/547508/year-review-2023-notable-findings.aspx