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Europe
Germany
10:18 BST, 19 July 2024 Former Chancellor Angela Merkel's open border migration policy allowed one million 'refugees' enter Germany in 2015. According to the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act in Germany, if community service is refused without reason, the right to benefits is limited. Just a week after Federal Justice Minister Buschmann said he was in favor of cutting social benefits for asylum seekers who enter Germany via another EU country, the state of Saxony-Anhalt has cut the benefits of asylum seekers who refused to pick up debris following heavy flooding in east Germany. 64 migrants had been written to by local authorities demanding they help clear rubbish and erect dykes for a wage of just 80 cents per hour after devastating floods in the area at the end of last year which saw hundreds of residents in parts of Germany forced to evacuate. 39 people agreed to help, while the rest, who are said to be from Syria, Afghanistan, Niger, Mali and Albania, failed to turn up. 15 asylum seekers who had no excuse to take part in the clean-up will have their asylum benefits cut in half to €232 a month for three months. These benefits are meant to cover basic necessities, such as food, accommodation, personal hygiene and clothing. (Source: dailymail)
Russia
Jul 19, 2024 at 8:47 AM EDT The Rostov nuclear power plant supplies power to Russia's entire Southern Federal District. On Tuesday, one of the nuclear power plant's four power units was shut down due to a malfunction of the turbine generator, Russia's state-owned energy group Rosatom said. This resulted in millions of Russians in the south of the country experiencing power outages. Rolling power outages this week affected residents of Russia's Krasnodar Territory, Rostov region, and Crimea. A number of social media users and Telegram channels spread the rumor on Friday that the nuclear power plant released ’radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere.’ ’Radiation emergency at the Rostov nuclear power plant. The radiation cloud is moving deep into the Russian Federation’ Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said on Telegram. "The Rostov nuclear power plant is operating normally, the background radiation is normal, the messages that have appeared about the emergency are fake," Russian state nuclear company Rosenergoatom told. Radiation monitors indicated normal radiation levels in the Rostov region. Power was restored to Russia's southern regions on Wednesday. Russia's Energy Ministry said in a statement that it "continues to monitor the energy supply situation in regions experiencing abnormally high temperatures." (Source: newsweek)
Europe
19/07/2024 - 1:13 GMT+2 Orbán reiterated upon arriving at the 4th European Political Community Summit in the United Kingdom that he had represented only himself, and not the EU, during his trips to the Russian and Chinese capitals. "That's called political leadership," he said. The Hungarian government insisted the trips were done on a purely bilateral basis and that Orbán did not represent the bloc, but his use of the Hungarian EU presidency logo left some ambiguity. Speaking at the opening of the summit, Zelenskyy warned the other 46 European leaders in attendance that Russian President Putin 'may approach you' in a bid 'to tempt or pressure you, to blackmail you, so that one of you betrays the rest'.'If someone in Europe tries to resolve issues behind others’ backs or even at the expense of someone else, if someone wants to make some trips to the capital of war, to talk and perhaps promise something against our common interests or at the expense of Ukraine or other countries, then why should we consider such a person?' Asked about the condemnation he has received, Orbán said other European countries "are more pro-war' than his own. 'They believe that they can destroy militarily the Russians. I don't think so, because I think that there is no solution of this conflict on the battlefield. They hope so, but I don't believe at all because I know the Russians, I know the Soviet Union, I know the Ukrainians, I'm belonging to a neighbouring country. (The) solution is not on the battlefield. (The) solution is a negotiation table. Ceasefire negotiation table. But that's what I try to convince them. But, you know, it takes time." The summit in the UK comes two weeks after Orbán, then just days into his six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, travelled to Moscow for talks with Putin about the war in Ukraine. He then 'jetted' to Beijing for similar talks with President Xi. The trips, which Orbán declared a "peace mission", drew strong condemnation from other EU leaders, none of whom have met with Putin since April 2022. (Source: euronews)
North America
United States
7/19/24 12:00 PM The US is about to deploy a new ground-based jammer designed to blunt Chinese or Russian satellites from transmitting information about US forces during a conflict. The Space Force branch tested the system for the first time earlier this year at two different locations, with control of the system at a third. The devices responsibly counter adversary satellite communications capabilities that enable attacks. The first 11 of 24 Remote Modular Terminal jammers will be deployed in several months, and all of them could be in place by Dec. 31 at undisclosed locations. The terminals are small, transportable and low-cost satellite communications jammers that can be deployed in austere environments to protect. The new terminals augment a much larger jamming weapon called the Counter Communications System that’s already deployed and a mid-sized one called Meadowlands by providing the ability to have a proliferated, remotely controlled and relatively relocatable capability. The Meadowlands system has encountered technical challenges that have delayed its delivery until at least October, about two years later than planned. China has “hundreds and hundreds of satellites on orbit designed to find, fix, track, target and yes, potentially engage, US and allied forces across the Indo-Pacific,” General Whiting, head of US Space Command, said Wednesday at the annual Aspen Security Forum. That is an offensive counterspace capability Samson, the chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, which produces an annual report on counterspace weapons. (Source: msn / Bloomberg)
Fri, 07/19/2024 - 3:29pm 'Four key decisions needed to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine from sanctuaries.' Russia has exploited sanctuaries with the crews of the bombers and ships beyond Ukraine's reach to launch devastating attacks for the duration of the war. ’Instead of providing weapons that might be able to shoot down the inbound missiles, we must provide weapons to deter the Russian bombers and fleet by going directly at them with weapons that can reach them'. Allowing Russia these sanctuaries must end and can be ended. Arming Ukraine with weapons to fight back against these attacks 'is not escalation’. Arming Ukraine with offensive weapons to be directly used against the bombers and fleet ’should be a moral imperative.’ 'The West' provide these weapons. ’Western nations have already approved artillery strikes and HIMARS cluster rocket (M-26) strikes into Russia to defend against attacks launched from these sanctuaries into Ukraine’. HIMARS are now firing into Russia, which was finally approved’, and is incredibly effective. These HIMARS cluster rockets have a range of 60km and can target anti-aircraft systems, artillery and multiple launch rocket systems firing into Ukraine, large troop formations, command and control, and transportation nodes. ’Now that the threshold has been crossed of Ukraine firing rockets into Russia, we simply need longer range missiles to go after the sanctuaries that are firing the cruise missiles’. ’There are four simple decisions that can make a significant impact on the battlefield in a short period of time and can easily be implemented: Decision #1: ’Approve ATACMS missiles to be fired into Russia at any firing site firing into Ukraine. Notify Russia that it is Ukraine’s right to defend against any attacks after September 1st.’ This will give notice, and hopefully reduce or eliminate attacks from Russia into Ukraine within range of ATACMS (300km range for MGM-140 ATACMs and 180 km for M-39 cluster missiles). Decision #2: ’Provide MQ-9 Reapers armed with AMRAAM air-To-Air missiles such as AMRAAM with 300 km range. The fleet of MQ-9 Reapers will augment the limited number of new F-16s arriving shortly. The MQ-9 with AMRAAM would push the bombers past standoff range. These unmanned UAVs can loiter for 40 hours and remain behind Ukrainian lines and fire at the bombers launching over 100 glide bombs per day that need to get within 40 km. If any Reapers are shot down the technology will fall within Ukrainian controlled areas, thus eliminating or mitigating the objection due to survivability and technology loss. Decision #3: ’Provide Tomahawk missiles with a range of 2,400 kilometers, for use within all areas of occupied Ukraine and within the Black Sea; additional approve the new use of Tomahawks against Russian air base sanctuaries from which the bombers fly from after September 1, 2024.’ Tomahawks would only be fired at bases in Russia or the Black Sea Fleet against any bases or ships that fire cruise missiles into Ukraine after September 1, 2024. ’Of course, Ukraine would prefer to use them to launch at many military targets.’ Normally the Tomahawk is a sea-based either on ships or submarines. But the U.S. Army has ground based launchers capable of firing Tomahawks. The U.S. military fired over 800 Tomahawks into Iraq during the 2003 ’liberation of Iraq’ and it is a standard weapon fired by the U.S. military in combat operations. The United States, United Kingdom and Japan all possess Tomahawks. Tomahawks are now being deployed to NATO to deter a Russian invasion. Decision #4: ’Approve SM-6 missiles with a range of 400 km, capable of hitting cruise missiles at long range like the KH-101s that were fired from Tu-95 and Tu-160 and flew from the Caspian Sea. These can be fired as ground to air, or ground to ship/ground. ’Even a small number’ of Reapers with AMRAAM, and Tomahawks and SM-6s might be enough deterrent to stop the Russia air campaign against ’civilian targets from sanctuaries in Russia and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. No matter what happens in the ground war, the air attacks on ’civilian’ targets must be stopped. ’By providing ATACMs, MQ-9 Reapers, Tomahawks, and SM-6 missiles, we can help’ Ukraine defend itself more effectively and force Russia to reconsider its brutal tactics. 'The West' must act decisively, not just to save Ukrainian lives, but to uphold the principles of sovereignty and international law. ’The decisions we make today will echo far beyond this war, influencing global security for generations to come.’ (Source: smallwarsjournal *)
* Small Wars Journal, an online magazine focusing on 'intrastate conflict', published by Small Wars Foundation.
by Rice, President of the American University Kyiv powered by Arizona State University. He is a 1988 graduate - B.S., National Security - of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who served his commitment as an Airborne-Ranger qualified Field Artillery officer. In 2004, he voluntarily re-commissioned in the Infantry to serve in Iraq for 13 months. He has been awarded the Purple Heart, Ranger Tab, Airborne Badge. Since 2010 he is Co-President of Thayer Leadership with the mission of bringing the world to West Point and bringing West Point leadership to the world. In 2013, he published and co-authored the book „West Point Leadership: Profiles of Courage”, which features 200 of West Point graduates, including the authorized biographies of over 100 living graduates. The book received 3 literary awards plus an award from the Military Society Writers of America. In the private sector he served as Chief Marketing Officer for a $500 million medical device manufacturer; Managing Director of a $10 billion investment firm; Co-Founder of a private equity firm in Iraq, and Co-Founder of a solar hybrid company in Afghanistan. He has been traveling between Washington, D.C. and Kyiv throughout this war as the Special Advisor to the Commander in Chief Ukraine Armed Forces General Zaluzhnyi.
Note: A leaky plan? Advocacy for another group of generals preparing to join the executive boards of arms manufacturers in preparation for their retirement? Towards space ... - is that all that's left?
July 19, 2024 at 12:20 a.m. The Republican National Convention has culminated Thursday with former President Trump‘s acceptance of the party’s presidential nomination. (Source: thestar *)
* Toronto Star
July 19 (2024) A 12-hour timelapse shows American Airlines, Delta, and United plane traffic after what was likely the biggest IT outage in history today forced a nationwide ground stop of the three airlines. /video/ (Source: instagram): https://tinyurl.com/2jt3bcrj
Globalization
Friday 19 July 2024 16:02 BST Vulnerability of worldwide dependence on software that comes from only a handful of providers. Much of the world faced online disarray Friday as a widespread technology outage affected companies and services across industries - grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air. At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide. The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, and that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack. Mac and Linux hosts were not impacted. Disarray continued hours after the problem was first detected. Hospitals had problems with their appointment systems, while officials in some U.S. states warned of 911 problems in their areas. Aairlines, payment platforms and online shopping websites across the world were affected. Long lines formed at airports in the U.S., Europe and Asia as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services. Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages impacting payments and online services. The Austin, Texas company CrowdStrike is a U.S. cybersecurity company that provides software to companies around the world and across industries and bills itself as being the globe's most advanced cloud-based security technology provider. CrowdStrike has a partnership with Amazon Web Services and its “Falcon for Defender” security technology is designed to supplement Microsoft Defender to prevent attacks. (Source: independent.uk)
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