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Europe
France
(24 November 2024) France's Foreign Minister Barrot told the BBC that Ukraine can shoot French longer-range missiles into Russia in the ’logics of self-defense.’ Both France and the UK have supplied Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles.The French Scalp missiles are the same as the UK's Storm Shadow missiles, which Ukraine had already used in attacks on Russia. He did not, however, reveal whether Ukraine had already used French-provided longer-range weapons on Russian targets. 'Barrot did not definitively rule out the deployment of French troops in Ukrainian combat zones'. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova tolt state media that Barrot's comments are "not support for Ukraine, but rather a death knell for Ukraine.’ Although some Western countries back the use of longer-range weapons by Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly shied away from sending longer-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, due to fears of escalation and lack of support for such a move among the German population. Taurus missiles have a maximum range of 500 kilometers. (Source: DW – Germany; „Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)”)
Germany
24 November 2024 ((20:40)) German football club Borussia Dortmund members have voted against a controversial sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. In May Dortmund signed a three-year sponsorship deal worth between €7 and €9 million per year. Of 855 participating members, 556 backed a motion at the general assembly to end the partnership as soon as possible and at the latest when the three-year deal expired. The identity of Rheinmetall as a leading player in the arms manufacturing industry has been seen as controversial among sections of Borussia Dortmund's 200,000 members and wider fanbase. (Source: DW - Germany)
United Kingdom
10:14, Sun, Nov 24, 2024 A spokesperson for US Air Forces in Europe said: “We can confirm that small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell between Nov 20 and 22. The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size/configuration. “The UASs were actively monitored and installation leaders determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents or critical infrastructure. “To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation. We continue to monitor our airspace and are working with host-nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets.” (Source: Express - United Kingdom)
Asia
Israel
November 24, 2024 at 1:00 a.m. EST War fatigue deepens in Israel as deaths mount and fighting expands. Historically, the country has maintained a small standing army, relying on reservists to fill out its ranks during a series of short-lived wars. But the Hamas-led rampage across southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage, thrust Israel into the longest conflict in its history. In the early months of the war, about 350,000 Israelis were called up, a staggering figure in a country of less than 10 million. More than 800 soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7. Some 80,000 Israeli reservists are planning to leave, or have already left, families, jobs and studies to serve on the front lines of Israel’s grinding wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Increasingly, some are choosing not to report for duty, putting further strain on an overextended military amid an ever-widening regional war. Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said in a briefing last week that the army’s enlistment numbers are down by about 15 percent since the period after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, when hundreds of thousands of Israelis from all walks of life reported to fight, many without being summoned. The country’s universal draft requires most Jewish men to serve for roughly three years and Jewish women for two. Members of the Arab minority, including Bedouin and Druze citizens, also enlist. The growing and politically influential ultra-Orthodox community is largely exempt. The Supreme Court ruled this year that ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students must be conscripted into the military, threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile right-wing political coalition. The military, facing a possible shortage of troops, is planning to extend mandatory service in the standing army and increase the maximum age for reservists. Many soldiers are already at their breaking point. “Wherever you look - the economic crisis, the toll on the reservists and their families, and of course the dead and the wounded - Israeli society is definitely at the edge of its capacity,” said Talshir, a political analyst at Hebrew University. Soldiers swap stories of partners threatening divorce and of bosses - many reservists themselves - running low on patience. Many women are struggling as single parents, cutting back their work hours to meet child-care needs, as productivity plummets across the board. Israel’s economic growth fell to 2 percent last year and is expected to shrink to 1.5 percent in 2024, said Bental, chair of the economics policy program at the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. Before the war, an average of 3,200 workers were absent from work each month for reserve duty, usually for only part of a week, according to a study by the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem. Between October and December last year, the average figure was around 130,000 per month, with most workers fully absent. Small businesses are shuttering, start-ups are losing capital, and potentially successful companies are thinking about relocating. “There’s burnout,” said Moskowitz, a freelance business consultant and reservist. The father of four young kids has spent more than 250 days on the front lines, at one point overlapping with his brother in Gaza. Moskowitz lost clients after he was called up, and said government assistance programs have been inadequate. Still, “being involved was more important than being at home,” he concluded. “We are the country,” said Moskowitz. “If we don’t show up, there’s no country.” For many Israelis, the mounting social, economic and human costs of the wars only add to the urgency of achieving their objectives: the defeat of Hamas in Gaza, the release of the more than 100 hostages still held there, and the return of 60,000 Israelis forced from their homes in the north. (Source: The Washington Post – U.S.)
by Rubin
24 Nov 2024 Israel has approved a resolution to cut ties with the Israeli news outlet Haaretz and ban government funding bodies from communicating or placing advertisements with the newspaper. The government said its decision was due to many articles that have hurt the legitimacy of the state of Israel and its right to self-defence, and particularly the remarks made in London by Haaretz publisher Schocken that support terrorism and call for imposing sanctions on the government, the left-leaning news outlet Haaretz reported today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the decision. Many view Haaretz as the only newspaper in Israel because, especially in this war, almost all the media outlets totally recruited themselves to the narrative of the government and the army, and did not show Israelis what was happening in Gaza, Haaretz columnist Levy said. The government’s dispute with the organisation intensified last month at a conference in London, where publisher Schocken said Netanyahu’s government did not care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. Communications Minister Karhi, who proposed the sanctioning of the news outlet, launched a renewed campaign against Haaretz, calling for a boycott of the newspaper. Last year, Karhi approached the Israeli cabinet secretary with a draft resolution to halt all subscriptions to Haaretz by state employees, including the army. (Source: Al Jazeera)
North America
United States
November 24 2024 Kennedy - who is President-elect Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) - has long spoken out against ingredients that he says hurt Americans' health. Leading up to the election, he offered several ideas for tackling chronic diseases under his slogan “Make America Healthy Again”. Kennedy has frequently advocated for eliminating ultra-processed foods - products altered to include added fats, starches and sugars, like frozen pizzas, crisps and sugary breakfast cereals, that are linked to health problems like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. He has taken aim primarily at school lunches, telling Fox News: “We have a generation of kids who are swimming around in a toxic soup right now.' Part of Kennedy's new mandate will include overseeing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has over 18,000 employees. The agency is in charge of ensuring the safety of pharmaceuticals and the US food supply. The 70-year-old has pledged to fire employees he says are part of a 'corrupt system'. “There are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA … that have to go, that are not doing their job,' Kennedy told this month. He has also pushed for getting rid of food dyes, including Red No. 3, and other additives banned in other countries. The former Democrat has also singled out more controversial health issues, including fluoride in drinking water, which he says should be banned altogether, and raw milk, which he believes has health benefits despite the increased risk of bacterial contamination. He’s also come after seed oils, writing on social media that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by products like canola and sunflower oil that are used in fast foods. Several public health experts stand behind Kennedy’s goal to tackle ultra-processed food. Kennedy’s aim to get rid of certain food additives and dyes also could be beneficial. Several food dyes, including Red No. 3 should also be blocked by the US government because of concerns about carcinogens. But public health experts and former officials said a number of Kennedy’s goals were not worthwhile - and in some cases, harmful. What the evidence says? Drinking raw milk that has not been pasteurized - a process that helps kill bacteria - can make people sick or even kill them, research has found. Kennedy’s proposal to remove fluoride from drinking water also could be problematic, because fluoride levels are controlled by states. Fluoride, in the low levels found in water, has been proven to improve dental health. And his claim that seed oils are helping drive the obesity epidemic is not based in science. They seem like important products to the extent that they substitute for saturated fats such as butter. Food reforms, while long part of the public health conversation, could also simply be unrealistic both politically and bureaucratically. You will encounter industry opposition at every turn. The industry is used to limited oversight from both Democrats and Republicans while many of Kennedy’s goals would involve even more rulemaking. Several food industry groups met with lawmakers before Kennedy’s appointment this month to lobby against him last month. The Food Industry Association, which represents food retailers, producers and manufacturers, like General Mills, said it looked forward to working with Trump’s team to 'ensure food and drug policy continues to be grounded in science, to reduce regulatory complexity'. Kennedy could take on ultra-processed foods by altering the US Dietary Guidelines, which set nutritional standards for the industry and federal government programmes, including school lunches and military meals. They have an enormous impact on the food industry, that would make a big difference. The guidelines are updated every five years by the US Department of Agriculture and DHHS, which has previously said there is not enough evidence against ultra-processed foods. The FDA does not have authority over the catch-all of ultra-processed foods. Both the US Department of Agriculture and the FDA regulate the food industry. The FDA does not make the rules - it carries out policies passed by Congress and works to limit unhealthy foods by enforcing limits and labelling on certain nutrients, like sodium and saturated fat. Kennedy will also face industry backlash for proposals to ban pesticides and genetically modified organisms commonly used by American farmers. The industry complaints about Kennedy’s agenda do not come as a surprise. The goal of the health movement is “prioritising the wellness of America over corporate profits”, said Hutt, a spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again political action committee, which is urging Republican lawmakers to confirm Kennedy. “Even if the idea of banning ultra-processed food is not possible politically, it's a conversation that we need to have,” he said. (Source: BBC – United Kingdom)
Nov 24, 2024 11:15 IST Kolkata-born Bhattacharya emerges as Trump's top pick to lead US health agency. He is now the presumptive favourite to be selected by President-elect Trump as the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Washington Post reported yesterday. The Stanford-trained physician and economist met with Kennedy Jr, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this week and impressed him with his ideas to overhaul NIH, the report said. The HHS, the United States' top health agency oversees NIH and other health agencies Bhattacharya has called for shifting the NIH’'s focus toward funding more innovative research and reducing the influence of some of its longest-serving career officials, the report added. (Source: India Today)
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