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

lousubcap

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had downed 47 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 17 in the southeastern Krasnodar region, 16 over the Azov Sea and 12 over the border region of Lursk. There were no immediate reports on casualties.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 28 drones at Ukraine, of which 24 were destroyed in the regions of Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Mikolayev and Kherson.

The Ukrainian chief of staff said its forces had struck a fuel depot overnight in the eastern Russian-occupied Luhansk region, setting it on fire. It did not give any details and Moscow did not confirm the attack.

A major oil terminal on the south coast of the Russia-occupied Crimean peninsula that Ukrainian forces struck remains on fire days after the attack in the town of Feodosia, local Russian-installed authorities said."

lousubcap

Sunday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia’s air defence units destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight over three regions bordering Ukraine, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said. Six drones each were downed over the Belgorod and Kursk regions, while one drone was destroyed over the Bryansk region, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had attempted to push back Ukrainian positions in the Russian Kursk region but that Kyiv was “holding the line”.

Zelenskyy also acknowledged that the situation for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region and southern Zaporizhia region was “very difficult”.

The Ukrainian military said its forces hit a fuel depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region on Saturday. The facility was used to store oil and oil products for the Russian army, it said on Telegram."

lousubcap

Monday Middle East update:

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas, sources say. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.

Hamas tried to persuade Iran to join the Oct. 7 attacks, secret documents reviewed by the Israeli military show. The documents also show a potential Hamas plan far bigger than the Oct. 7, including a Sept. 11-style toppling of a Tel Aviv skyscraper. Ronen Bergman, Adam Rasgon, and Patrick Kingsley report for the New York Times; Joby Warrick, Souad Mekhennet, and Loveday Morris report for the Washington Post.

The second round of a U.N.-led polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is set to begin today. CNN reports. 

A Hezbollah drone strike on a military base in northern Israel killed four soldiers and wounded dozens, the Israeli military said yesterday, adding that it would investigate how the drone entered Israel without triggering an alert. Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Aaron Boxerman, Johnatan Reiss, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.

The U.S. military will deploy a sophisticated missile defense system and about 100 troops to operate it in Israel, ahead of another potential ballistic missile attack from Iran, the Pentagon said yesterday. The new deployment means U.S. soldiers could actively engage in fighting between Israel and Iran on Israeli soil. Barak Ravid reports for Axios."

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Kyiv announced that its forces had destroyed a Russian Tu-134 transport aircraft stationed at a military airfield in the Orenburg region deep inside Russian territory over the weekend, the latest Ukrainian claim of an attack behind Moscow’s lines.

Russian glide bombs have struck a concentration of Ukrainian troops near the border of Russia’s western Kursk region, the Russian defence ministry said. The attack was directed against “a strongpoint and concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel”, and the bombs were delivered by a Russian Su-34 warplane, the statement added.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces have taken control of the village of Mykhailivka in eastern Ukraine, and are advancing towards the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

The Ukrainian military said in its daily report that its troops repelled 36 Russian assaults in the Pokrovsk area, including near Mykhailivka."

dbCooper

This is not a read, it's a listen to item, 55 minutes with 60 seconds worth of lead-in ads.  The podcast is last weekends episode of "Reveal", syndicated on NPR and titled "In God We Vote".  For me it was enlightening as regards why do some ignore truth and logic in their political decisions.  Gives some understanding when looked at from the perspective those folks are on a mission for God and/or are a apostle of God.  Seems many have been nurtured in that perspective.

https://revealnews.org/podcast/in-god-we-vote/

lousubcap

Tuesday Middle East update:

"Israeli military strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians across Gaza as Israeli forces closed in on Jabalia today. Palestinian health officials said Israeli fire killed at least 11 people in Al-Falouja, the largest of Gaza’s eight refugee camps, while an Israeli missile killed 10 others in eastern Khan Younis. The U.N. says around 400,000 Palestinians remain trapped in the north. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately targeted UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon and called for the mission to be withdrawn from combat regions. A UNIFIL spokesperson later confirmed the mission is staying “under a security council mandate.” Reuters reports.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday that the IDF is not carrying out a “starvation plan” in Gaza proposed by former Israeli generals, according to Israeli officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said the White House had “made our concerns clear to the Israeli government” after an Israeli airstrike yesterday on a hospital compound in Gaza set fire to tents housing displaced people, killing four. The Israeli military claimed the hospital was being used as a Hamas command center. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times; the Washington Post reports. 

Netanyahu told the Biden administration that he is willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, two officials said, suggesting a more limited counter strike aimed at preventing a full-scale war. In response to the reports, Netanyahu’s office said that Israel will listen to the United States, but make final decisions based on its national interests. Shira Rubin and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post; Nathan Williams reports for BBC News."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its forces had taken control of the tiny hamlet of Levadne in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, the Interfax news agency reported. There was no comment from Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces had held firm and were counterattacking as Russian troops tried to break through their lines in the Kursk region for a fifth straight day.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance would not be cowed by Russian threats and would maintain its strong support for Kyiv. Rutte was speaking on his first visit as NATO chief to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which will gradually assume the coordination of Western military aid to Kyiv, in Germany.

“Several thousand” North Korean infantry soldiers are undergoing training in Russia now and could be deployed to Ukraine by the end of the year, a Ukrainian military intelligence official told the Washington Post. Michelle Ye Hee Lee reports."

lousubcap

Wednesday updates will be late in the day due to travel commitments.  Like anyone is concerned...

lousubcap

From Nate Silver-formerly of Five-Thirty Eight Polling-now independent:

More specifically, Harris has a target of 51 percent of the vote. In our simulations on Monday, Harris projected to get 51.0 percent of the popular vote — and the Electoral College was a toss-up. More than that (even Biden’s 51.3 percent from 2020 would probably do it) and she likely wins; less, and she probably loses. Trump, conversely, has a target line of 48.7 percent of the vote; that reflects the likely slant of the Electoral College toward the GOP.

The big picture: Who is favored to win the presidency?

Chance each candidate has of winning Electoral College or the popular vote in the 2024 presidential election and our best predictions of the outcome based on 40,000 simulations from our model

This is today-lots of time left but clearly the challenge is in the undecided voters, the number of which is very small.  Gonna be a long night 11/5-6.  

Ike

lousubcap said:

Wednesday updates will be late in the day due to travel commitments.  Like anyone is concerned...

I read it daily...my source for the news.

lousubcap

Wednesday Middle East update:

"The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday demanding that Israel take steps within 30 days to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk U.S. military aid being affected, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios. The letter, whose authenticity was confirmed by U.S. and Israeli officials, comes amid concerns over civilian deaths and dwindling aid access to Gaza’s north. Barak Ravid reports; the Washington Post reports.

President Emmanuel Macron reportedly told a cabinet meeting yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must not forget “his country was created by a U.N. decision,” urging Israel to abide by U.N. decisions. It comes amid rising tensions between the two leaders over Israel’s strikes in Lebanon. Camille Knight reports for France24; Clea Calcutt reports for POLITICO.

Israeli forces targeted southern Beirut with fresh strikes today for the first time in days. Israel’s military issued evacuation warnings, and said on X the target was an underground warehouse used by Hezbollah. Mohamad El Chamaa, Rachel Pannett, and Annabelle Timsit report for the Washington Post.

Israeli strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh killed five people, including the local mayor. Lebanon’s prime minister accused Israel of “intentionally” targeting a municipal council meeting. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it sent “barrages” of rockets into several areas of northern Israel overnight. BBC News reports; Jessie Yeung reports for CNN.

Lebanon’s hospitals are buckling amid Israel’s offensive, with some forced to close or struggling to operate. The U.N. has warned the “targeting of health and relief operations is broadening.” Euan Ward reports for the New York Times.

Israel is opposed to a “unilateral ceasefire” in its war with Hezbollah, Netanayhu told Macron, claiming it would only return the security situation in Lebanon “to what it was before.” Lauren Iszo and Alex Stambaugh report for CNN.

The United States said yesterday that it opposed the scope of Israel’s recent airstrikes in Beirut. A State Department spokesperson said Washington had expressed its concerns to Netanyahu. Humeyra Pamuk and Laila Bassam report for Reuters."

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, according to officials in the Ukrainian capital. There was no information immediately available about casualties or damage.

Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks on Russia’s southern border region of Belgorod, injuring at least eight people and damaging cars and property, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of Kupiansk and Borova in the northeastern Kharkiv region amid the advance of Russian forces. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the evacuation order was mandatory.

The White House said it was “concerned” by claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that North Korean soldiers were fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the allegation as “fake news”.

European Council President Charles Michel said Zelenskyy has been invited to attend a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday to “take stock of the latest developments of Russia’s war against Ukraine and present his victory plan”."

Edit to add(From Politico):

HABEMUS UKRAINE VICTORY PLAN-AM: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY unveiled his victory plan to the Ukrainian Parliament today, and our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA has the details of what’s inside.

As Veronika writes, Zelenskyy’s plan consists of five main proposals and three secret annexes. Among the publicly known proposals are requests for an invitation to join the NATO alliance, faster deliveries of weapons (with no restrictions on their usage), the deployment of a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on Ukrainian soil and increased post-war security and economic cooperation with Europe.

Ukrainian lawmakers say the plan is ambitious, but they’re holding out hope that allies will increasingly come around to Kyiv’s thinking on victory, as they have on previous questions of how to support Ukraine as it repels a now two-year Russian invasion. For now, though, NATO Secretary-General MARK RUTTE has pledged more aid, but no invitation to join the alliance.

NORTH KOREANS IN UKRAINE: The growing alignments between Russia and other U.S. adversaries are getting new attention today as Ukrainian officials warn that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine

As Veronika also reports , at least 3,000 North Koreans are fighting under Russian direction, per a Ukrainian official who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity. And North Korea has sent factory workers to man Russian weapons plants. If true, it represents a major expansion in Pyongyang and Moscow’s collaborations amid the war in Ukraine.

lousubcap

Thursday Middle East update:

"There has been “some improvement” in food aid delivery to northern Gaza in recent days, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said yesterday, a day after the United States threatened to withhold military aid to Israel if it failed to allow more aid into Gaza. There was no official response from the Israeli government. Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports for the New York Times.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is weighing presenting a post-war Gaza plan based on ideas developed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials say. Several White House and State Department officials are concerned that it would marginalize the Palestinian Authority president and government. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had hoped the Gaza war would fade in the final weeks of the presidential race, but fresh Israeli military offensives are making that impossible, U.S. officials and campaign aides say. John Hudson, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Mohamad El Chamaa and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.

Palestinians are facing a spike in Israeli demolition orders in East Jerusalem, a BBC investigation has found. Wyre Davies reports."

Edit to add:

The U.S. military struck five underground weapons facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis yesterday, an attack that could also serve as a warning to Iran. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that President Biden had ordered the strikes to “further degrade the Houthis’ capability.” John Ismay reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"President Biden yesterday announced a $425 million aid package for Ukraine, ahead of a trip to Germany tomorrow expected to focus on securing Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times; Michelle Stoddart reports for ABC News. 

NATO’s Rutte said members of the military alliance are “firmly on track” to fulfil a pledge of 40 billion euros ($43.53bn) in military aid for Ukraine this year, saying the bloc committed 20.9bn euros ($22.7bn) during the first half of 2024 and is on track for the rest of the year.

Russian aircraft carried out seven attacks on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, dropping nine guided bombs, but Ukraine’s military remain in control across several areas of the occupied Russian oblast.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called North Korean involvement in Russia’s war in his country a “huge threat of escalation” and urged tougher sanctions and isolation against Pyongyang."

lousubcap

Friday Middle East update:

"Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the chief architect of the Oct. 7 attacks, was killed by Israeli forces in a surprise battlefield encounter on Wednesday, the Israeli military confirmed yesterday. The IDF said its soldiers had been patrolling in Rafah when the man, since identified as Sinwar, “ran alone into one of the buildings” and was killed after being located with a drone. Graeme Baker reports for BBC News; Ronen Bergman, Aaron Boxerman, Raja Abdulrahim, Patrick Kingsley, and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar’s death marked “the beginning of the end.” He was the third of three Hamas leaders to be killed since the International Criminal Court issued warrants for their arrest. The Washington Post reports; Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports for the New York Times.

President Biden congratulated Netanyahu on Sinwar’s death death in a phone call yesterday. A White House readout said that Biden and Netanyahu “ discussed how to use this moment to bring the hostages home and to bring the war to a close.” Eugenia Yosef, Sophie Tanno, and Kevin Liptack report for CNN.

Sinwar’s death creates an opportunity to resume Gaza hostage release and ceasefire negotiations, U.S. and Israeli officials say. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke with the Qatari prime minister and Saudi Arabia foreign minister yesterday, said that Washington would “redouble its efforts with partners to end this conflict.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios; the Washington Post reports. 

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said today it is transitioning “to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel.” Iran also said that “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” after Sinwar’s death. James Mackenzie, Nidal Al-Mughrabi, and Samia Nakhoul report for Reuters."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would like to replace some U.S. forces based in Europe with Ukrainian troops once Russia’s war in Ukraine comes to an end. Zelenskyy pitched the swap during a speech in the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday as well as a Thursday appearance before the European Council in Brussels that outlined a “victory plan” for ending the conflict in Ukraine by next year. “After this war, Ukraine will have one of the most experienced and largest military contingents,” he said Wednesday. “These are people, real people, our soldiers, who will have real experience in modern warfare, successful experience in the use of Western weapons and diverse experience in cooperation with our partners, with NATO troops.”

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called a Ukrainian plan to request weapons and security guarantees from the West “more than frightening.” 

The populist leader was reacting in a Facebook post to a “victory plan” outlined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday ahead of a European Council meeting that was to negotiate future European Union aid to Ukraine. 

“Today President Zelenskyy will present his plan for victory. What he outlined yesterday in the Ukrainian parliament was more than frightening,” Orbán wrote, adding that instead of sending more weapons to Ukraine, a cease-fire and peace negotiations were needed.

Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv, launching 56 drones and one missile in an overnight assault.

Ukraine downed 51 out of 136 Russian attack drones launched on Thursday, its air force reported, while Russia also fired a Kh-95 guided aerial missile.

The Kremlin has reiterated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan”, announced on Wednesday, will risk direct conflict between Russia and NATO.

Norway will supply six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “in the near future”, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said, following talks with his Norwegian counterpart Bjorn Arild Gram."

lousubcap

From Tom Nichols of The Atlantic-a must read but unfortunately the needed audience will not or ignore.

Tom Nichols Staff writer

The 2024 election has entered an altogether hallucinatory phase, as Donald Trump’s mental coherence continues to unravel in public.

You know the expression and what it means, but I will use only the abbreviation: WTF. In military circles, it is rendered as “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” On the show The Good Place, it is “What the fork.” I think I have a pretty good vocabulary, but I find myself at a loss for any other way to describe a week in American electoral politics that must rank among the most bizarre in modern times.

Trump, of course, tops the leaderboard for gobsmacking moments, and this week, his comments ran the gamut from vile to hilarious to head-scratching. Even so, nothing could match his description of the January 6 insurrection—one of the darkest moments in American political history—as “a day of love.”

This vertigo-inducing moment occurred during Trump’s Univision town hall two nights ago. A Cuban American construction worker named Ramiro González said that he was “disturbed” by Trump’s behavior on January 6 but wanted to give Trump a chance to win back his vote. Trump’s answer was a slurry of sentence fragments and passive constructions, but its mendacity was unmistakable:

Some of those people went down to the Capitol, I said, peacefully and patriotically, nothing done wrong at all. Nothing done wrong. And action was taken, strong action. Ashli Babbitt was killed. Nobody was killed. There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns. And when I say “we,” these are people that walk down, this was a tiny percentage of the overall, which nobody sees and nobody shows.

Everything was fine, you see, but “action was taken.” By someone. For some reason. Note also that Trump aligns himself with the insurrectionists: “We” didn’t have guns; “they” had them. (This is a lie: Some of the rioters were armed.) And then Trump concluded: “But that was a day of love, from the standpoint of millions …”

A “day of love” is one way to put it. Other ways to put it, of course, are “one of the worst days for American law enforcement since 9/11” and “the first time a hostile force carrying Confederate flags managed to breach the Capitol.” In response to Trump’s words, the former Capitol police officer Aquilino Gonell went on X and posted a video of the mob attacking him. “Here’s me receiving an outpouring amount of affection during the ‘day of love,’” he said, adding, “They almost loved me to death.”

González has now said that he was not convinced by Trump’s response and will not be voting for him. But millions of other voters have continued to support Trump despite his obvious approval of this brutal attack on our constitutional order. I had hoped, however, that by now, Trump might be shunned among political and cultural leaders—at least by those who have not already bent the knee. After everything Trump has said and done, why would any decent person want him to stand among a group of dignitaries while he curses, makes bad jokes, and does some of his usual rally shtick?

Which brings me to the Al Smith dinner.

The Smith dinner, named after one of the great governors of New York (and the first Catholic major-party nominee for president), is a formal-dress charity event hosted by the Catholic archbishop of New York. Politicians attend (especially during an election year) to give speeches and engage in some good-natured banter and camaraderie.

Trump, of course, has no evident good nature. His previous in-person appearance at the dinner was in 2016, and it was so shameful and mean-spirited that, as The New York Times noted this morning, Trump and his wife “slunk out of the room the second it was over.” This year was no better. Kamala Harris had the good sense not to attend, and sent a video message instead. (It wasn’t very good comedy, but so it goes.) Trump showed up in person, however, and made sure to be just as offensive and rude as he had been eight years before.

The point is not that Trump is too bilious to be funny; the point is that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, and many others who should know better sat there and pretended that Trump was just a regular political candidate soft-shoeing his way through an Al Smith dinner. All of these people should have refused to share a stage with Trump, but the dinner was another example of what Jonathan Last acidly—and rightly—calls “Kabuki Normality,” the careful pretense that all is well, and that appearing with a convicted felon, a man found liable for sexual abuse, a racist and a misogynist and a “fascist to the core,” is just another day at the office for the leader of New York’s Catholics and the senior Democratic senator from New York.

Elsewhere, Trump’s running mate, J. D. Vance, has finally decided to take a stand on a question he’s been weaseling out of answering for weeks: Did Trump lose to Joe Biden? “No,” he said to a reporter during a question-and-answer session at an event in Pennsylvania this week. “I think there are serious problems in 2020. So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use, okay? … I really couldn’t care less if you agree or disagree with me on this issue.”

Even by the Ohio senator’s standards of disdain, this signals a new level of contempt. Yet Vance’s embracing of the Trump campaign’s Big Lie caused barely a ripple in the national consciousness today—because Trump was busy flooding the zone with nutty, baffling answers on Fox & Friends this morning.

Asked who his favorite president was when he was little, Trump said, “Ronald Reagan.” Reagan took office when Trump was in his mid-30s. Trump went on to claim that Fox staffers wrote some of his jokes for the Smith dinner (which Fox denied). He did his usual riffs about Harris and her IQ; said that if she is elected, we will no longer have cows—no, I don’t get it either—and disparaged Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was “probably a great president,” Trump allowed, “although I’ve always said, why wasn’t that settled?”

He meant the Civil War.

Trump finished up by saying he was going to go talk to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and demand that Murdoch stop Fox from running “negative” Harris-campaign ads about Trump—“and then we’re going to have a victory.”

It’s normal to both express shock and laugh at such things, but none of this is funny. Trump is unfit to enter the White House. He is unstable, disordered, and morally repulsive. Yet today, the election could be a coin toss. If Trump wins, in January, he will sit behind the Resolute desk, and military aides will once again walk him through the process to order the use of nuclear weapons.

No phrase or expletive is enough to capture that terrifying possibility.

lousubcap

A late Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"South Korea has warned of a “grave security threat” as its spy agency said 1,500 North Korean troops have arrived to fight with Russia in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes 10,000 North Korean soldiers could eventually join the war.

Ukrainian soldiers are locked in a bitter battle for the town of Toretsk in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian troops entered last Friday.

An official in the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key target in Russia’s advance westwards, has urged residents to evacuate as essential services like heating will be cut.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said a joint proposal tabled in May by China and Brazil for ending the war in Ukraine was “balanced” and could yield results.

Zelenskyy has dismissed the proposal – which would resume direct dialogue but would not require Russia to pull back from Ukraine – adding that he expects Putin to table his own peace proposal at the upcoming BRICS summit.

US President Joe Biden has said there is no consensus on giving Ukraine long-range weapons to conduct deeper strikes into Russia but called on NATO to “sustain our support” during a visit to Berlin."

lousubcap

Sunday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian air defence units downed 110 Ukrainian drones over Russia, the Ministry of Defence said, including one over the Moscow region, 43 over the border region of Kursk, and 27 over the southwestern Lipetsk region.

Russia’s air defence units destroyed at least one drone flying towards the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app, while drone debris sparked several short-lived fires in Lipetsk, the regional governor said on the app. No injuries or significant damage were reported from the attacks.

North Korean troops supporting Russia in its war would be a “huge” escalation risk, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. Ukrainian officials released a video allegedly showing dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues in an unknown location. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he could not confirm reports of North Korean troops, adding such a move would be concerning.

The defence ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations backed Ukraine’s “irreversible” path to NATO membership. The meeting in Naples, Italy on Saturday marked the G7’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defence.

Russia said Ukraine’s admission to NATO would make a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict impossible and lead to its escalation, the RIA news agency reported, citing Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot pledged support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan” for ending the war with Russia through negotiations, telling reporters in Kyiv that he would work with Ukrainian officials to get other countries to back the proposal as well."

lousubcap

Monday Middle East Update:

"Despite hopes for a de-escalation in the Israel-Hamas war following Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, fighting continued over the weekend, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the military will “continue forward until the end” and Hamas vowing that Sinwar’s killing changes nothing. Eugenia Yosef reports for CNN; Liam Stack, Aaron Boxerman, Bilal Shbair, and Jim Tankersley report for the New York Times.

President Biden told reporters during his visit to Berlin on Friday that Sinwar’s death is a chance to “seek a path to peace,” but acknowledged that a ceasefire will be harder to achieve in Gaza than in Lebanon. Biden also indicated he plans to send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel this week to discuss the way forward in the war. Aaron Gilchrist reports for NBC News; BBC News reports.

The THAAD missile defense system sent by the United States to Israel is “in place” and ready for use, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today. Natasha Bertrand reports for CNN.

A drone from Lebanon’s Hezbollah struck near Netanyahu’s private residence in coastal Israel on Saturday, his office said. Netanyahu and his wife were not at home at the time. Liam Stack reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine; an update: From Lloyd Austin-

Austin makes political message in unannounced trip to Ukraine

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday appeared to take a swipe at former President Trump, criticizing “some who say that both sides are to blame” in the war that began when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

© AP

“There are some who don’t understand — or say they don’t understand — what is at stake between the free world and an aggressive tyrant like Putin. And I say: Let them come to Kyiv,” said Austin, who was speaking at the Kyiv Diplomatic Academy after making a surprise visit to Ukraine.   “There are some who say that both sides are to blame for Putin’s war of aggression. Let them come to Kyiv,” he continued. “Let us never forget how this war began.”   Austin did not name Trump or far-right Republicans who have opposed sending more aid to Ukraine and have been critical of defending the country.   Trump has repeatedly said he would quickly end the war and has played up his relationship with Putin.   Last week, in an interview with “PBD Podcast,” Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “one of the greatest salesman I’ve ever seen,” a comment he has frequently made at rallies because the Ukrainian leader has gotten billions in U.S. aid. Trump also talked about the destruction of Ukraine in the war and appeared to blame Zelensky for it.   “He should never have let that war start,” Trump said, referring to Zelensky. “That war’s a loser. Ukraine, remember, is not Ukraine anymore.”   Trump met Zelensky during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Washington last month, and he again pledged that he was “going to get it resolved very quickly,” referring to the war.   Austin met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Zelensky while in Kyiv. The Defense secretary announced a $400 million security package for Ukraine during the visit.   Zelensky said in a post on the social platform X that the leaders “discussed critical defense priorities, including Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, preparations for the winter period, and the expansion of long-range weapon use against Russian military targets.”   Zelensky also said he talked about his victory plan, which he first presented to President Biden in September but was not officially revealed until last week.

lousubcap

Tuesday Middle East update (not much here):

"At least 13 people were killed and 57 injured in an Israeli strike yesterday near the main government hospital in Beirut, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The hospital was not in an area covered by Israeli evacuation orders, a CNN analysis found. The IDF said it had hit a Hezbollah target nearby, and claimed the hospital itself was not affected. Ian Casey reports for BBC News; the Washington Post reports; Michael Rios and Allegra Goodwin report. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Tel Aviv in an effort to renew stalled talks for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. A senior official said Blinken plans to follow up on his warning of halting U.S. military assistance if Israel does not improve access to humanitarian aid. BBC News reports; John Hudson reports for the Washington Post.

Israel is continuing to prevent humanitarian aid, from reaching northern Gaza, including food and medicine, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said. David Gritten reports for BBC News."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

Reports that North Korean soldiers may soon join Russia’s frontlines are reviving talks of sending European troops to support Kyiv, Lithuania’s foreign minister told POLITICO. Separately, South Korea said today it may consider supplying weapons to Ukraine to counter Russia-North Korea military ties. Nicholas Vinocur reports; Hyunsu Yim reports for Reuters.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced an additional $400mn for Ukraine during his Kyiv visit yesterday, vowing continued support for the country’s war effort. The U.K. government also announced it will give an extra £2.26bn ($2.93bn) to Ukraine using profits from seized Russian assets. Missy Ryan reports for the Washington Post; Jonathan Beale reports for BBC News.

Ukraine’s air defences destroyed 42 of 60 drones launched by Russia during an overnight strike, the Ukrainian Air Force said, over parts of central, southern and eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defence units destroyed a total of 18 Ukrainian drones. Eleven drones were downed in the southern Bryansk region, three over Belgorod, which served as a base for Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and the rest over the regions of Kursk, Tula and Oryol, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

One explosion shook the Bio-Khim biochemical plant in Russia’s Tambov region, sparking a short-lived fire, Tambov Governor Maxim Yegorov said on Telegram. Meanwhile, the governor of the Tula region, which borders Moscow to its north, said Ukrainian drones damaged two distilleries, in the town of Yefremov and the village of Luzhkovskyi. There were no reports of casualties.

Edit-watch for Russian vodka price gouging.  

dbCooper

lousubcap Posts: 33,694

October 21

Russia-Ukraine; an update: From Lloyd Austin-

Austin makes political message in unannounced trip to Ukraine

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday appeared to take a swipe at former President Trump, criticizing “some who say that both sides are to blame” in the war that began when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

That may be revisionist history Austin is promoting.  The annexing of Crimea in 2014 would be a more accurate start date from my understanding.

lousubcap

Wednesday Middle East update:

"The Israeli military yesterday said it killed Hashem Safieddine, the presumed next leader of Hezbollah, in an airstrike near Beirut in early October. The strike had targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, and was one of the heaviest bombardments to hit the Dahiya area since the killing of Hezbollah’s long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 27. Michael Crowley, Aaron Boxerman, Gabby Sobelman, and Ephrat Livni report for the New York Times.

In a statement yesterday, Hezbollah claimed “exclusive responsibility” for the drone strike targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home over the weekend. Netanyahu’s office confirmed there were no injuries and that no one was home at the time. Lior Soroka, Sammy Westfall, and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Netanyahu and top Israeli officials yesterday, urging Israel to take “urgent and sustained steps” to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and “capitalize” on Yahya Sinwar’s death to end the war. Blinken said Netanyahu made a “commitment” that Israel is not applying a surrender-or-starve policy to Palestinians who refuse to leave northern Gaza. The Washington Post reports; Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood report for CNN."

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The United States has agreed to give Ukraine $800mn to domestically manufacture long-range drones for use against Russian troops, Pentagon sources say. It marks a shift in U.S. policy toward strengthening Ukraine’s own defense capabilities. Kim Barker, Maria Varenikova, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

The United States and Europe are close to finalizing a $50bn loan to Ukraine backed by Russia’s frozen central bank assets, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said yesterday. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies “not to hide” in the face of evidence of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Kyiv claimed to have information about two North Korean units – up to 12,000 troops – set to take part in the war."

fishlessman

take out the vodka plants.....hit em where it hurts

lousubcap

Thursday Middle East update:

"Hezbollah acknowledged yesterday that Hashem Safieddine, who was widely considered likely to take over leadership of the group, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. Michael Crowley and Euan Ward report for the New York Times.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said yesterday that Washington had not seen proof of Israeli claims that Hezbollah had set up a bunker complex under a hospital in Beirut. Austin also told his Israeli counterpart that Washington had “deep concerns” about strikes against the U.S.-backed Lebanese Armed Forces. Aaron Boxerman and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Speaking at an international conference in Paris to rally aid for Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron said the conference would assist in recruiting 6,000 new troops for the Lebanese army. Criticizing Israel’s incursions into the south of the country, Macron also called for Hezbollah to stop its operations, and announced that France will give €100mn ($108mn) in aid. The Guardian reports.

Hamas wants Russia to push Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to begin negotiations on a national unity government for post-war Gaza, a senior Hamas official told the Russian state news agency. Guy Faulconbridge reports for Reuters."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"There is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia, Defense Secretary Austin confirmed yesterday, the first official U.S. acknowledgement of the development. Senior Biden administration officials said North Korean involvement in the war could make its troops “legitimate military targets.” Ivana Saric reports for Axios; Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan and Michelle Ye Hee Lee report for the Washington Post. 

White House spokesperson John Kirby said US intelligence shows the North Korean troops were transported to three training sites in eastern Russia earlier this month, adding they would be “fair game” if deployed to Ukraine.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the notion Russia would deploy North Korean troops in Ukraine, saying “[President] Putin would never try to persuade another country to involve its army” and deploying foreign soldiers would signal “escalation of the conflict”.

Lukashenko also said the use of Russian nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus would require his personal assent, adding he was “completely ready” to use them if the “boot of one [foreign] soldier steps into Belarus”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said sending Western troops to Ukraine will lead to a “direct clash of nuclear powers” with “catastrophic consequences” after French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu suggested the deployment of non-nuclear forces to deter Russian aggression."

JohnInCarolina

For those who aren’t clear on this: Russia is, in fact, the bad guy.