Iraqi PM Survives Iranian Militia Drone Assassination Attempt

Freedomist Curator November 8, 2021

Drones are the present and future of war, be it ‘conventional’ or ‘unconventional.’ The recent attempt to assassinate Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi using drones is the latest example of the growing reliance on drones to deliver lethalility.

After the assassination attempt, which left the Prime Minister with a minor injury on his hand, tensions are high as Iranian backed militias surround Baghdad’s still extant green zone, now run by the Iraqi government.

Tension Rises in Iraq After Failed Bid to Assassinate PM

From www.cbn.com
2021-11-08 08:44:18

Excerpt:

BAGHDAD (AP) — The failed assassination attempt against Iraq’s prime minister at his residence on Sunday has ratcheted up tensions following last month’s parliamentary elections, in which the Iran-backed militias were the biggest losers.

Helicopters circled in the Baghdad skies throughout the day, while troops and patrols deployed around Baghdad and near the capital’s fortified Green Zone, where the overnight attack occurred.

Supporters of the Iran-backed militias held their ground in a protest camp outside the Green Zone to demand a vote recount. Leaders of the Iran-backed factions converged for the second day on a funeral tent to mourn a protester killed Friday in clashes with security. Many of the faction leaders blame the prime minister for the violence.

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Poland Prepares for War with Belarus Over Migrant Threat

Freedomist Editor November 8, 2021

The border crisis between Poland and Belarus is only deepening as both states bring troops to their respective borders while more migrants are also being allowed to gather by Belarus.

Crisis worsens on Poland-Belarus border as migrants congregate and troops are mobilized

From rss.cnn.com
2021-11-08 18:09:16

Excerpt:

In the latest in a weeks-long migration crisis at the border, the head of the Polish border guard said that groups of people were attempting to breach the border on Monday evening.

“The situation at the border is difficult. More numerous groups of migrants are led to the border. Attempts are being made to force the border through,” Ewelina Szczepańska said, adding that she was confident that Polish forces could handle the situation.

Poland’s defense ministry said earlier on Monday on Twitter that “a group of migrants is currently located close to Kuznica.” The post was accompanied by aerial footage showing large crowds congregating on the Belarusian side of the border. The ministry added later that: “Currently, migrants have set up a camp in the Kuznica region. They are constantly guarded by the Belarusian services.”

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Ethiopia Set to Fall to Rebels

Freedomist Editor November 8, 2021

Ethiopia’s war closes in on the capital as all sides balk at calls for a ceasefire

From www.cbsnews.com
2021-11-08 18:02:31

Excerpt:

Johannesburg — Tens of thousands of people took part in massive rallies in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Sunday. It was a show of support for the government as it battles an alliance of rebel forces threatening to march on the city, but there was strong anti-American sentiment at the gatherings, too.

The fighting in Ethiopia has raged for just over a year now, but what started as an isolated battle between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and rebels in the northern Tigray region has snowballed into a fight for his political survival.

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Chinese Media Faces New Communist Party Restrictions

Mark Clouse October 15, 2021

China Targets News Media in Xi Jinping’s Campaign to Expand Communist Party Control

From www.wsj.com
2021-10-12 15:55:00

Excerpt:

SINGAPORE—China’s Communist Party is ratcheting up its control over news media and online commentary, warning away private investors and cracking down on what it describes as misinformation, as it continues a campaign to assert itself more forcefully across the economy and Chinese society.

The country’s central economic planning agency released on Friday a draft regulation that promised to expand restrictions on the involvement of “nonpublic capital” in swaths of the news industry—a warning to news organizations with private funding to step carefully, according to analysts.

On the same day, authorities in southern China detained a well-known former journalist for allegedly insulting national martyrs in a post on social media that questioned the Communist Party’s account of the Korean War.

Both events come on the heels of other tightening moves, including a decision by China’s internet regulator at the end of August to muzzle over 1,000 independent…

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La Palma Volcano Becoming Major World Event

Ivo Fysic October 12, 2021

An ongoing volcano on the Canary Islands is causing local destruction and threatens the American East Coast with some degree of disruption as well. The volcano is called the La Palma Volcano. It has been spewing for over 2 weeks now, but there does seem to be an end in sight. Here is the latest on this developing story.

Blocks of magma ‘three-storeys high’ flow from La Palma volcano

From www.irishtimes.com
2021-10-11 11:17:20

Excerpt:

Europe

Oct 11, 2021

Drone footage has captured blocks of red-hot magma – some of which were the size of three-storey buildings, the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining said – flowing down the hillside from La Palma’s Cumbre Vieja volcano.

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La Palma volcano: Lockdown following fears over air quality

From www.bbc.co.uk
2021-10-12 15:38:05

Excerpt:

Authorities in La Palma ordered 2,500 people into lockdown over fears of inhaling toxic gases caused by volcanic fumes.

Residents of El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane were advised by local emergency services to shut their windows, air conditioning devices and shades.

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La Palma volcano: Lava engulfs cement factory forcing new lockdowns | Watch News Videos Online – Globalnews.ca

From globalnews.ca
2021-10-11 19:04:56

Excerpt:

La Palma volcano: Lava engulfs cement factory forcing new lockdowns | Watch News Videos Online Globalnews.ca

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Satellites capture reinvigorated La Palma volcanic eruption

From www.space.com
2021-10-12 11:12:51

Excerpt:

Satellites have captured stunning new images of the intensifying volcanic eruption on the Spain-owned island of La Palma as new streams of lava spilled out over the weekend.

The revitalized volcanic eruption was accompanied by boulders the size of a house rolling out of the Cumbre Vieja volcano’s crater, where part its cone collapsed on Saturday (Oct. 9), as locals reported dozens of Earth tremors up to 3.8 magnitude since Sunday. The reports signal Cumbre Vieja was still far from going to sleep.

The European Earth-observing satellite Sentinel-2 caught a glimpse on Sunday of the new lava streams that squirted out of the fiery volcano after the partial collapse of its conical crater that had formed since the beginning of the eruption on Sept. 19. The collapse freed the way for the up to 2,264 degrees Fahrenheit (1,240 degrees Celsius) hot lava to spill in new directions. A powerful sizzling stream quickly formed north of the original lava river and found a path downhill toward the…

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Record Number of Sorties Near Taiwan for China Through Air Show

Mark Clouse October 7, 2021

China stages aerial ‘military parade’ with record sorties near Taiwan

From www.washingtontimes.com
2021-10-03 14:17:20
David R. Sands
Excerpt:

China‘s military staged a massive show of intimidation over the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, dispatching bombers, fighter jets and other aircraft into Taiwan‘s defensive air space in two waves Friday and Saturday, by far the biggest such incursion in recent years.

The sorties, which brought a warning from the Biden administration condemning Beijing’s “coercion,” were hailed by China‘s nationalistic, state-controlled Global Times as the equivalent of staging a “National Day military parade” in the skies above the 100-mile…

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Iran-Backed Party on Ballot in Iraq Elections

Mark Clouse October 5, 2021

Party linked to Iran-backed militia to run in Iraq elections

From www.thenationalnews.com
2021-10-03 15:22:27

Excerpt:

An Iraqi political party, linked to a powerful militia, has announced plans to run in the country’s general elections for the first time while calling for the withdrawal of US troops.

The Huqooq Movement is the political wing of Kataib Hezbollah, the most high-profile Iran-backed militia in Iraq. They have been accused of targeting protesters during the October 2019 demonstrations.

“We are not radicals, instead, we’ve identified a problem and are seeking to restore rights through political means under the umbrella of the constitution,” Hussein Mounis, the party’s leader said during a press conference to announce their electoral programme.

Mr Mounes, who also used to go by the name of Abu Ali Al Askari, was the spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah.

He said the party has “the ability to achieve” its goals, which includes political and economic demands “with which we’ve defended the homeland and expelled anyone who wanted evil for this country.”

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Afghan Economy, Social Structures Destroyed by Taliban

Mark Clouse October 5, 2021

Afghanistan experiencing serious crisis, socio-economic collapse looming: Josep Borrell

From www.bignewsnetwork.com
2021-10-03 17:37:00

Excerpt:

Brussels [Belgium], October 3 (ANI): EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday said Afghanistan is facing a “serious humanitarian crisis and a socio-economic collapse is looming” that will prove to be dangerous for the region and international security.

“Afghanistan is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis and a socio-economic collapse is looming, which would be dangerous for Afghans, the region and international security,” Borrell wrote in a blog post.

Borrell said that there are many signs that the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse.

“For instance, we have seen the formation of an interim government that is neither inclusive nor representative. And we have reports that women and girls are excluded from schools and universities, which goes against initial assurances from the Taliban,” he wrote.

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Russian Military Accused of Rights Violations by Central African Republic

Mark Clouse October 5, 2021

Central African Republic accuses Russians of conflict abuses

From nationalpost.com
2021-10-03 17:55:41

Excerpt:

BANGUI — Russian military instructors committed rights abuses in Central African Republic (CAR) during clashes with rebels this year, a government report said on Sunday, bolstering evidence produced in a United Nations report in June.

The army – backed by U.N. peacekeepers, Russian and Rwandan troops – has been battling rebels seeking to overturn a December vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared the winner. Fighting has been fierce: in January rebels launched an assault on the capital Bangui that was repelled after a long gunfight.

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France Wants America Out of Europe

Paul Collier October 4, 2021

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, is telling his European comtemporaries that it’s time to ween itself off American power. The embattled President is in the midst of an election he most likely will win but might potentially lose, and he’s just seen a major arms deal between his country and Australia go the way of the dodo bird after the United States essentially gave Australia for free something better or at least on par with what France would have been paid to deliver, submarines.

Now, Macron is moving to move Europe away from America and into itself. And don’t think a new European nationalism is not possible if and when all of Europe suddenly perceives the US is no longer a reliable defensive partner. When faceed with the external threats without, the people of Europe may find a new european nationalism convenient to the perceived predicament. For that to happen, America has to geet out of the way, whether it wants to or not.

Macron says Europeans need to stop being naive and assert independence from the United States

From www.washingtonpost.com
2021-09-28 16:27:00
By Rick Noack
Excerpt:

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europeans to “come out of their naivete” on the world stage and assert their independence from the United States, sending one of the strongest signals to date that the diplomatic crisis prompted by a disrupted submarine deal could have long-lasting repercussions on transatlantic relations.

Speaking alongside the Greek prime minister Tuesday at a news conference to unveil a major Franco-Greek defense deal, Macron said the Europeans should make themselves “respected.”

“For a bit over 10 years now, the United States has been very focused on itself and has strategic interests that are being reoriented towards China and the Pacific,” he said.