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Europe
Russia
(Monday), 23/12/2024 - 00:49 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held talks with Russian President Putin in Moscow on Sunday, discussing gas transit and the war in Ukraine, as Kyiv signals it will not renew a key gas deal with Slovakia. Fico arrived in Russia on a working visit and met with Putin one-on-one yesterday evening. According to Kremlin spokesman Peskov, the talks were expected to focus on the international situation and Russian natural gas deliveries. Russian natural gas still flows to some European countries, including Slovakia, through Ukraine. Fico said the talks in Moscow were a reaction to what Zelenskyy told him on Thursday in Brussels, that he is against any gas transit to Slovakia through Ukraine. There President Zelenskyy told EU leaders that Kyiv has no intention of renewing the five-year agreement signed before the war that is due to expire at the end of this year, something Fico insisted will harm his country's interests. Fico also said that Zelenskyy is in favor of sanctions against Russia’s nuclear program, which he said was unacceptable and against the interest of his country that relies on nuclear energy. Fico said Putin confirmed to him that Russia is still ready to deliver gas to the West. Slovakia last month signed a short-term pilot contract to buy natural gas from Azerbaijan. Earlier this year, it struck a deal to import U.S. liquefied natural gas through a pipeline from Poland. The country can also receive gas through Austrian, Hungarian and Czech networks, enabling imports from Germany among other potential suppliers. Fico said they also discussed the military situation in Ukraine, chances for a peaceful solution to the war and the bilateral relations between their two countries. Fico’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine differ sharply from most other European leaders. In an interview with the Rossiya-1 channel in October, he contended the West has prolonged the war by supporting Ukraine, adding that sanctions against Russia were ineffective. He declared that he was ready to negotiate with Putin. Fico also vowed to attend a military parade in Moscow next May that will mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. (Source: France 24 / AP – U.S.)
Africa
Mozambique
23.12.2024 Cyclone Chido struck the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, one of the islands most vulnerable to climate change, on Dec. 14. The storm later impacted Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, causing widespread devastation. The death toll in Mozambique from Cyclone Chido has risen to 94. The cyclone struck the country’s Indian Ocean coastline on Dec. 15, reached wind speeds of up to 260 kilometers per hour and affected around 622,000 people, destroying or partially damaging around 140,000 homes. In Malawi the death toll from Chido has risen to 13. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Asia
Iran
Mon, December 23, 2024 at 10:30 AM GMT+1 Threats build around ally Iran. When Beijing brokered a historic peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, it was seen as a milestone for China's proactive engagement with the Middle East. With the downfall of Syria's Assad, and the loss of Hamas and Hezbollah during its war against Israel, Tehran faces mounting geopolitical threats. Iran has experienced economic hardship since Trump's first presidency. After withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal - a multipolar framework to negotiate Iran's nuclear issue - Trump imposed harsher economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a campaign Washington called ’maximum pressure" and whose impact has lasted until today. On the security front, the Trump administration coordinated the assassination of Soleimani in 2020, dragging US-Iran relations to one of their most dangerous points in decades. The harsh stance is likely to continue with Trump's Tehran-hawkish Middle East cabinet - including Boulos, the president's Middle East adviser, Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, and Huckabee, the ambassador to Israel. This month, Boulous told French media outlet Le Point that Trump would certainly pursue the ’maximum pressure" campaign against Iran in the clearest indication yet that the incoming administration would enforce Iran's economic and geopolitical isolation. In contrast to Washington's hostility, China's relations with Iran have grown economically and politically in the past few years, and it has been a major force trying to stop Iran being totally isolated. China is a crucial trading partner and oil buyer for the Islamic Republic, reportedly through trade transit to circumvent sanctions. Beijing has invited Tehran to join Brics and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) - two Beijing-led regional blocs - to avoid Tehran falling into further international isolation. Iran is one of China's Middle Eastern partners in the Belt and Road Initiative, yet it has seen significantly fewer investments over the past decade compared with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Pakistan. A landmark 25-year cooperation agreement signed in 2021 between the two countries has also seen little implementation. On the diplomatic front, Iran is still an important pillar for China's ambition as a mediator in the region. Experts said that with Trump's hawkish Middle East policy cabinet, China-Iran relations were likely to strengthen under the common pressure. But China's ability to remain a mediator could be at risk in the next four years, given the changing circumstances of Iran and its regional rivals. Wen, a Middle East specialist at Shanghai International Studies University, said Trump's unyielding support for Israel and harsh approach to Iran could shrink China's space as a regional mediator. He predicted that if Trump took a hardline attitude to support Israel, the Gaza war could be ended in a timely manner. Trump would continue to push his diplomatic legacy in the region, the Abraham Accords, which encourages Israel - Iran's biggest rival in the region - to establish diplomatic relations with Arab countries. "China has always insisted that the Palestinian-Israeli issue is the core issue in the Middle East and calls for the 'two-state solution'. The Abraham Accords, however, are trying to marginalise the Palestinian-Israeli problem. The conflict between China and the United States on this issue will become more distinct," Wen said. Marks, a non-resident fellow with the Stimson Centre's China programme and a former US defence adviser, said the growing conflicts in the Middle East - especially the recent regime change in Syria - risk further confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Syria has been one of the major battlegrounds for the Saudi-Iran decade-long confrontation. Tehran openly backed Assad's regime with force but Riyadh opposed the regime on the diplomatic front. The instability and escalation likely to follow in Syria will fuel disagreements and tensions across the region, Marks said. "Beijing will have to carefully navigate a politically explosive environment as many of its key partners find themselves on opposing sides over Syria's future." (Source: Yahoo - U.S. / South China Morning Post)
Israel
December 23, 2024 Israel is getting ready to annex the occupied Palestinian West Bank in the coming weeks or months. (Source: Antiwar / The Palestine Chronicle)
by Dr. Baroud, a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle; a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) /Turkey/. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Pappé, is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out. His other books include My Father was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s untold story and The Last Earth.
Syria
Dec 23, 2024, 8:23 AM Reports suggest that Turkish drones have carried out 17 attacks against civilian targets in different areas of Syria, including the cities of Kobani and Manbij under the pretext of destroying the positions of Kurdish forces supported by the US. Local sources announced that at least 30 people lost their lives during Turkish drone attacks. (Source: MEHR News Agency - Iran)
North America
United States
Dec 23rd, 2024, 6:37 am President Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, converting them to life in prison without parole in a decision today, leaving three inmates convicted of terrorism or hate-fueled mass murder untouched. (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)
December 23, 2024 President-elect Trump has reignited a proposal to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). Mexico strongly opposes the idea, viewing it as a violation of national sovereignty. In 2021, over 70,000 Americans died from synthetic opioid overdoses, mostly attributed to fentanyl from Mexico. While the U.S. focuses on supply-side interventions, Mexican officials argue that ’addressing drug demand in the U.S. should take priority’. The FTO designation would allow the use of anti-terrorism statutes against cartel members, potentially leading to steeper penalties and ban foreign citizens associated with these organizations from entering the U.S. (Source: The Rio Times, a Swiss-owned newspaper, based in Brazil)
Dec 23, 2024 12:06 IST Trump's renewed interest in Greenland. 'For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. The 78-year-old Republican leader made the statement while announcing PayPal co-founder Howery as the US's Ambassador to Denmark. While Greenland has autonomous self-rule, it is still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 2019, Trump indicated that he wanted to purchase Greenland, close to the Arctic, as he was mostly drawn to the country's natural resources and geopolitical relevance. Greenland is a part of the North American continent, geopolitically, it has ties to Europe. It has received EU funding since it is classified as an overseas territory associated with the bloc via Denmark. The US has its own space force base, Pituffik Space Base (earlier known as Thule Air Base), on the northwest coast of Greenland. Trump's remarks on Greenland came after he threatened Panama to return control of the Panama Canal to the US if Latin American country continued to charge what he described as ridiculous passage fees for American vessels. Panama's President Mulino sharply rebuked Trump, saying his country's independence was non-negotiable and defended the passage rates Panama charged, asserting they were not set on a whim. (Source: India Today)
December 23, 2024 Unusual claim by a U.S. leader to reclaim sovereign territory. President-elect Trump has threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal strategic waterway, accusing Panama of charging exorbitant fees to American vessels. The Panama Canal, transferred to Panamanian control in 1999, handles about 6% of global maritime trade. Approximately 40% of U.S. container traffic relies on this crucial passage. Trump warned that if Panama doesn’t adhere to certain principles, the U.S. might demand the canal’s return 'in full, quickly and without question.' Panamanian President Mulino swiftly rebuffed Trump’s assertions. He emphasized that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and that its sovereignty is non-negotiable. Mulino also defended the canal’s fee structure, stating that rates are set based on operational costs and market dynamics. Trump hinted at growing Chinese influence around the canal, stating it must not fall into the 'wrong hands.” While China doesn’t directly control the canal, a Hong Kong-based company operates two ports at its entrances, fueling strategic concerns. The future of this critical waterway hangs in the balance, potentially shaping regional dynamics for years to come. (Source: The Rio Times, a Swiss-owned newspaper, based in Brazil)
December 23, 2024 „Now the government wants us to believe that we have nothing to fear from these mass spying programs as long as we’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t believe it. The government’s definition of a “bad” guy is extraordinarily broad, and it results in the warrantless surveillance of innocent, law-abiding Americans on a staggering scale’. Every second of every day, the American people are being spied on by a vast network of digital Peeping Toms, electronic eavesdroppers and robotic snoops. „This creepy new era of government/corporate spying - in which we’re being listened to, watched, tracked, followed, mapped, bought, sold and targeted – has been made possible by a global army of techno-tyrants, fusion centers and Peeping Toms’. Geofencing dragnets. Fusion centers. Smart devices. Behavioral threat assessments. Terror watch lists. Facial recognition. Snitch tip lines. Biometric scanners. Pre-crime. DNA databases. Data mining. Precognitive technology. Drones. Contact tracing apps. License plate readers. Social media vetting. Surveillance towers. What these add up to is a world in which, on any given day, the average person is now monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways by both government and corporate eyes and ears. Big Tech wedded to Big Government has become Big Brother. Behavioral surveillance is not only making it possible for individuals to be monitored and tracked based on their patterns of movement or behavior, including gait recognition (the way one walks), but have given rise to whole industries that revolve around predicting one’s behavior based on data and surveillance patterns and are also shaping the behaviors of whole populations. One smart ’anti-riot” surveillance system purports to predict mass riots and unauthorized public events by using artificial intelligence to analyze social media, news sources, surveillance video feeds and public transportation data. Tracking your social network: Not content to merely spy on individuals through their online activity, government agencies are now using surveillance technology to track one’s social network, the people you might connect with by phone, text message, email or through social message, in order to ferret out possible criminals. FBI agents are able to access address book data from Facebook’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage services from the accounts of targeted individuals and individuals not under investigation who might have a targeted individual within their network. This creates a ’guilt by association’ society in which we are all as guilty as the most culpable person in our address book. Tracking you based on your spending and consumer activities: With every smartphone we buy, every GPS device we install, every X/Twitter, Facebook, and Google account we open, every frequent buyer card we use for purchases and every credit and debit card we use to pay for our transactions, we’re helping Corporate America build a dossier for its government counterparts on who we know, what we think, how we spend our money, and how we spend our time. Consumer surveillance data tracked and shared with advertisers, has become big business, a $300 billion industry that routinely harvests your data for profit. Corporations such as the Target retailer has funded major surveillance in cities and developed behavioral surveillance algorithms that can determine whether someone’s mannerisms might fit the profile of a thief. Cell phones have become de facto snitches, offering up digital location data on users’ movements and travels. Hacking software can be used to remotely activate cameras and microphones Federal agents can now employ a number of hacking methods in order to gain access to your computer activities. Police are also using mass surveillance of protests without the need for a warrant. Facial recognition software create a society in which every individual who steps out into public is tracked and recorded. Coupled with surveillance cameras that blanket the country, it allows the government and its corporate partners to identify and track someone’s movements in real-time. A software program created by Clearview AI has been used by police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to collect photos on social media sites for inclusion in a massive facial recognition database. Similarly, biometric software, which relies on one’s unique identifiers (fingerprints, irises, voice prints), is gaining access to phones, computers, office buildings, etc. Scientists are also developing lasers that can identify and surveil individuals based on their heartbeats, scent and microbiome. On social media: Every move you make is monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line. The FBI, CIA, NSA and other government agencies are increasingly investing in and relying on corporate surveillance technologies that can mine constitutionally protected speech on Facebook, X and Instagram to identify potential extremists and predict who might engage in future acts of anti-government behavior. This obsession with social media as a form of surveillance will have some frightening consequences in coming years. We may very well face a future where algorithms bust people en masse for referencing illegal game downloads, the new software targeting every social media user with a shameful confession or questionable sense of humor.” Tracking you based on your public activities: Private corporations in conjunction with police agencies have created a web of surveillance that encompasses all major cities in order to monitor large groups of people seamlessly, as in the case of protests and rallies. Defense contractors have been at the forefront of this lucrative market. The extensive online surveillance is looking for any hints of large public events, social unrest, gang communications, and criminally predicated individuals. Fusion centers, $330 million-a-year, information-sharing hubs for federal, state and law enforcement agencies, monitor and report such ’suspicious’ behavior as people buying pallets of bottled water, photographing government buildings, and applying for a pilot’s license as suspicious activity. Tracking you based on your car: License plate readers are mass surveillance tools that can photograph over 1,800 license tag numbers per minute, take a picture of every passing license tag number and store the tag number and the date, time, and location of the picture in a searchable database, then share the data with law enforcement, fusion centers and private companies to track the movements of persons in their cars. Tens of thousands of these license plate readers are now in operation throughout the country, allow police to track vehicles and run the plates through law enforcement databases for abducted children, stolen cars, missing people and wanted fugitives. There have been numerous incidents in which police have mistakenly relied on license plate data to capture out suspects only to end up detaining innocent people at gunpoint. A DNA print reveals everything about who we are, where we come from, and who we will be.If you leave your DNA traces anywhere a crime has been committed, you’ve already got a file somewhere in some state or federal database – albeit it may be a file without a name. By accessing your DNA, the government will soon know your family chart, your ancestry, your health history,etc. It’s only a matter of time before the police state’s pursuit of criminals expands into genetic profiling and a preemptive hunt for criminals of the future.DNA technology completes our transition to a Surveillance State. Surveillance, digital stalking and the data mining of the American people – weapons of compliance and control in the government’s hands – haven’t made America any safer. And they certainly aren’t helping to preserve our freedoms. Tracking you based on your mail: Just about every branch of the government – from the Postal Service to the Treasury Department and every agency in between – now has its own surveillance sector, authorized to spy on the American people. For instance, the U.S. Postal Service, which has been photographing the exterior of every piece of paper mail for the past 20 years, is also spying on Americans’ texts, emails and social media posts. Headed up by the Postal Service’s law enforcement division, the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) is reportedly using facial recognition technology, combined with fake online identities, to ferret out potential troublemakers with “inflammatory” posts. The agency claims the online surveillance, which falls outside its conventional job scope of processing and delivering paper mail, is necessary to help postal workers avoid potentially volatile situations. (Source: Antiwar - U.S.)
By Whitehead, a Constitutional attorney and author, founder and president of the Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are Battlefield America: The War on the American People; A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. His new book: The Freedom Wars, (TRI Press);
N. Whitehead, the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute.
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