Seeking The Way
Seekers,
I presume that we are all looking for a way forward as a world, inhabited everywhere by human families, without nuclear World War-3. If I'm wrong, you might still find some interest in this view of the horizon, as events shape the near-future into potential forms. I will focus on the forms which don't entail vast global destruction over a couple of hours.
Gilbert Doctorow yesterday, Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine per today’s speech by Vladimir Putin A little more than a week ago, just before British Prime Minister Starmer arrived in Washington for what was expected to be an announcement of joint approval of such use of the Storm Shadow, Vladimir Putin told journalist Pavel Zarubîn on the sidelînes of the St Petersburg Cultural Forum that Russia will consider use of British., American or other long range missiles against its territory as changing the nature of the present proxy war into a direct Russia NATO war and will respond appropriately.
That was a vague threat. After all he did not specify what appropriately meant. However it was a sufficient change of tone from Moscow for the Pentagon to have taken note and for the Starmer visit to have been emptied of content: the White House said there was no change in its policy on the prohibition on strikes inside Russia...
..Moscow was proceeding on the assumption that Washington would give Zelensky the permission he seeks in a week or two when the furor died down.
Tonight’s Great Game has provided a lengthy video clip from Putin’s new and latest restatement of Russian nuclear doctrine which it explained in the lapidary clear terms of its own expert panelists.
Underlying the new doctrine is a changed understanding of Washington’s nuclear strategy as it has evolved from global strike from the US triad to use of massive combined attack using tactical and strategic aircraft plus medium to long range cruise and hypersonic missiles based in Europe and in the Far East
The evolving situation in Ukraine fits into the new US vision of a decapitating strike on Russia that first destroys Russia’s land based nuclear force.
Accordingly Russia now declares that any attack on its territory by a non nuclear state using missiles and other long range weapons such as the F-16 provided by and guided by a nuclear state(meaning the USA, Britain or France)will be considered as a joint attack by the nuclear and non nuclear state and will prompt a Russian nuclear attack on both.
Note the timing of the Russian announcement: it comes just before Biden’s meeting in Washington with Zelensky and while the UN General Assembly is in session. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is presently in New York and is explaining the new nuclear doctrine to all those interested, of whom there are assuredly a great many world leaders.
Scott Ritter clarifies 2024 US doctrine to win against Russia, China and North Korea as pre-emptive decapitation, and explains the new nuclear precision-detonation technology, which optimizes missile-silo-destruction, which makes it feasible. Key term: "Launch on Detect". Life, Pre-empted Last week we came closer to a nuclear conflict between the US and Russia than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
Today we are even closer.
Most scenarios being bandied about in the western mainstream media that involve a nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States have Russia initiating the exchange by using nuclear weapons against Ukraine in response to deteriorating military, economic, and/or political conditions brought on by the US and NATO successfully leveraging Ukraine as a proxy to achieve the strategic defeat of Russia. Understand, this is what both Ukraine and the Biden administration mean when they speak of Ukraine “winning the war.”... ..In early 2020 US Strategic Command conducted an exercise where the Secretary of Defense gave the launch instructions for a US Ohio class submarine to launch a Trident missile carrying W-76-2 low yield nuclear warheads against a Russian target in a scenario involving Russian aggression against the Baltics in which Russia used a tactical nuclear weapon to strike a NATO target.
The insanity of this scenario is that it ignores published Russian nuclear doctrine, which holds that Russia will respond with the full power of its strategic nuclear arsenal in the case of a nuclear attack against Russian soil.
Once again, US nuclear war planners believe that Russia is bluffing.
There is another twist to this discussion.
While the US might assess that Russia would not seek a general nuclear war following the use by the US of low yield nuclear warheads, the problem is that the means of employment of the W-76-2 warhead is the Trident submarine launched ballistic missile... ..The United States has long embraced a nuclear posture which not only incorporates the potential of a nuclear first strike, but, through declaratory policy statements, actively encourages America’s potential nuclear adversaries to believe such an action is, in fact, possible. David J. Trachtenberg, the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy during the Trump administration, said in a speech at the Brookings Institution in 2019 that a key aspect to the US nuclear posture was “keeping adversaries such as Russia and China guessing whether the US would ever employ its nuclear weapons.”
But the US takes the guesswork out of the equation. Theodore Postol points out, in a recent article in Responsible Statecraft, that a new fuse used on the W-76 nuclear warhead (not the low yield W-76-2, but rather the 100 kiloton version) has turned the 890 W-76 warheads loaded on the Trident missiles carried onboard the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines into weapons capable of destroying hardened Russian and Chinese missile silos with a single warhead...
..This means that, firing in a reduced trajectory profile from a position close to the shores of either Russia or China, the United States possesses the ability to launch a nuclear first strike that has a good chance of knocking out the entire ground-based component of both the Chinese and Russian strategic nuclear deterrent. As a result, Russia has been compelled to embrace a “launch on detect” nuclear posture where it would employ the totality of its silo-based arsenal the moment it detected any potential first strike by the United States. https://www.globalresearch.ca/life-pre-empted-scott-ritter/5868756
"NO, NO, No, No, NOOO! I'm NOT LISTENING!" US and EU strongly reject Russia's 'nuclear threat' The US and EU really did not expect such a move by the Russian Federation and therefore became noticeably tense.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Russian President Vladimir Putin's words "irresponsible." According to this "gentleman," the US needs to declare that such nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable, especially when the UN General Assembly is taking place in New York, where the need for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is being discussed, among other things.
In turn, no less an inveterate Russophobe, the press secretary of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and policy Security Council Secretary Peter Stano said the EU strongly rejects the "nuclear threat" from Russia. https://en.topcor.ru/51942-ssha-i-es-reshitelno-otvergajut-jadernuju-ugrozu-so-storony-rossii.html
Kremlin Says Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine Changes Are a Message to the West “This should be viewed as a certain message,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “This is a message that warns these countries of the consequences should they participate in an attack on our country by various means, not necessarily nuclear.”
Putin said the new doctrine will consider an attack on Russia by a non-nuclear state that’s supported by a nuclear-armed power as a joint attack, and it allows the use of nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack that poses a “critical threat to Russian sovereignty.” https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/26/kremlin-says-russias-nuclear-doctrine-changes-are-a-message-to-the-west/#gsc.tab=0
Zelensky makes urgent in-person plea to Biden and Harris who highlights her contrasting approach to Trump “In candor, I share with you, Mr. President, there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations,” she said outside her ceremonial office next to the White House. “These proposals are the same of those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.” While Harris did not specify who she was talking about, the implication was clear. https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/politics/zelensky-biden-harris-washington-visit/index.html
Not mentioned: Depth of strikes into Russia which will be carried out by NATO specialists operating these systems. Biden drains remaining Ukraine aid funds The US president’s authorization from Congress to spend the money expires next week https://swentr.site/news/604723-biden-ukraine-aid-drawdown/
Biden announces transfer of JSOW guided munitions to Ukraine
US President Joe Biden announced the allocation of $8 billion to support Ukraine. He also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would receive another package of military aid. It will include long-range guided aerial bombs JSOW. The statement said that Ukraine would also receive Patriot air defense systems and ammunition from the United States. The aid package would also include an expansion of the training program for Ukrainian F-16 pilots.
Politico wrote that the US is considering transferring JSOW guided munitions to Ukraine for use from F-16 fighters. The range of JSOW is 110 km. Navigation systems and thermal imaging homing heads were used in its creation. https://www-kommersant-ru.translate.goog/doc/7183140?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Trump says Ukraine is ‘demolished’ and dismisses its defense against Russia’s invasion https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ukraine-putin-zelenskyy-0f4d539aa73a943474d779716e5fe42a
Look at Ukraine, please. NATO outlines plans in event of war with Russia NATO would have to deal with a large number of frontline casualties without the capability to airlift them for treatment in the event of a major war with Russia, the bloc's logistics chief has said.
Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, the head of NATO’s Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC), outlined the difficulties that troops would face in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. “The challenge will be to swiftly ensure high-quality care for, in the worst case, a great number of wounded,” Sollfrank said.
The environment of a hypothetical conflict with Russia would be completely different from what the US and its allies faced in Afghanistan and Iraq, he added. https://swentr.site/news/604713-nato-medical-schengen-russia/
Thanks Eleni. Russians obliquely mention "knowing who the enemy is": How the Rothschilds Сashed In on Ukraine Since Neo-Nazi Coup in 2014 Multinational asset firm Rothschild & Co was instrumental in the restructuring of Ukraine’s $20+ billion debt in July 2024, according to Western press.
It had reportedly been involved in arranging face-to-face meetings between Ukrainians and asset management firms, including Black Rock and Amundi, less than two months before the two-year payment moratorium expired on August 1.
The Rothschilds reportedly engaged IMF’s experts in the talks while the plan of grabbing Russia’s frozen sovereign assetswas also on the table.
The clan is believed to be cashing in on the Eastern European state through various schemes, including the future “restoration of Ukraine.” Then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tapped a Rothschild & Cie to sell his assets in 2014. It turned out later that the companies weren’t sold but handed over to Rothschild Trust...
..In 2017, Rothschild S.p.A. won the bidding for investment and banking services to Ukraine’s oil and gas company Naftogaz.
The same year, the supervisory board of Ukraine’s state-owned lender PrivatBank asked a consortium of Rothschild, EY and FinPoint companies to restructure its funds...
..In July 2023, Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexey Stolyarov (Lexus) tricked Alexandre de Rothschild, the executive chairman of Rothschild & Co, who told them that the banking clan has cooperated with the Kiev regime since 2017.
“We had excellent relationships with people in your government. We were mainly involved in attracting of lending funds,” de Rothschild told Vovan and Lexus thinking that he was talking to Volodymyr Zelensky. De Rothschild told the pranksters that the family company intends to take part in “the restoration of Ukraine”, including in energy, housing construction, and logistics. “You expressed the need for reconstruction financing in the total amount of more than $750 billion, starting in 2023 for a period of about ten years, and this is quite adequate,” the banker said. https://www.defenddemocracy.press/how-the-rothschilds-%d1%81ashed-in-on-ukraine-since-neo-nazi-coup-in-2014/
This man is Vladimir Putin's personal messenger and negotiator, clothed in mystery, and not much liked by the Russian military. He is ready to negotiate at any time. SENDING A BOY TO DO A MAN’S JOB – VLADIMIR MEDINSKY TO NEGOTIATE ISTANBUL-II On January 24, 2020, the Kremlin announced that Putin had removed Medinsky from the culture ministry, and instead appointed him an assistant to the President. There were no other details in the official announcement; nothing leaked then or later to the press on whether this was a demotion or promotion. What is certain is that Medinsky’s talk of cultural events was camouflage. Putin had told Medinsky he was changing his role for one of the most personal foreign policy operations on Putin’s agenda.
This didn’t materialize in public until Medinsky appeared as the leader of the Russian delegation to negotiate end-of-war terms with the Ukrainian government in Istanbul between March 29 and April 1, 2022.
Medinsky was sharply criticized by the General Staff, State Duma, and press for the terms he initialed in the draft agreement... ..He reappeared publicly at the Kremlin on July 5, 2024, when Medinsky was listed by the Kremlin in negotiation of end-of-war terms between Putin and Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban, and through Orban, US presidential candidate Donald Trump. In the Kremlin communiqué of the Orban talks, Medinsky was ranked ahead of foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov. The Kremlin has not explained what the former expert on Russian culture and history was doing there... ..A Moscow source confirms Medinsky was identified to Orban as Putin’s personal messenger. “He remains the chief negotiator but he has not been seen with the Chinese or with the Indians. This means that Putin is only serious about Orban – of course not about Orban, but Trump whom Orban went on to meet in Miami on July 11.”.....(Putin) "I propose that we discuss this today. We have two speakers, Mr Medinsky and Mr Lavrov.”
What Medinsky had to say about Russian history remains top secret. His Security Council speech has not been quoted on the Kremlin website; the Kremlin’s Telegram platform has ignored it. Asked for a copy or a summary of Medinsky’s remarks, the Kremlin press office replied: “If we get it, we’ll add it. Follow the website”. So far as Moscow political observers can remember, this is the first time that an official statement on Russian history has been classified.
Russian sources believe the reason is the same as Medinsky’s November 2019 meeting with Putin. It is camouflage. Only this time, the sources add, Putin’s purpose is to expose the camouflage himself, confirming he is ready for Istanbul-II, and is employing Medinsky in the president’s effort to override opposition to the end-of-war negotiations... “Whatever Medinsky says is Putin’s thoughts exactly, more powerfully than Medvedev,” a Moscow source explains. “Putin wants the Americans to understand this.” By making public Medinsky’s presence with Orban on July 5, and now at the Security Council on September 20, Putin is sending a signal to Trump, and also to the Biden Administration, that they should reciprocate with a negotiating signal of their own and stop the Kiev regime’s plans to escalate on the battlefield, with F-16 operations, and with long-range missile attacks on Russian territory... ..He went on to study journalism and political science at universities in Moscow and then, at an unusually young age, he was posted to the Soviet (then Russian) Embassy in Washington in 1991-92. His arrival at the press department of the Embassy was registered by US counterintelligence as likely to indicate KGB cover. A Russian source comments: “Medinsky was definitely a KGB officer but low-level. Still, these guys have very high opinion of themselves just as Putin has of himself in Germany.”… Medinsky went on to a career in a variety of political party and government posts ever since....At the end of February this year, Medinsky told the press he is ready to resume his end-of-war negotiations with the Kiev regime in Istanbul. “If they give us the assignment,” he is quoted as saying, “we’ll go.” In another press report of the same remarks, Medinsky responded to announcement of a new mediation effort by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by saying: “They will give the instructions – let’s go.”
In his version of Istanbul-II, Medinsky has implied— just as he has insisted on his interpretation of Istanbul-I —that Russia is not at war with the US and NATO, dismissing the range of demilitarization of Ukrainian territory required by the General Staff and the Security Council, and ignoring the terms of regional security proposed by the Russian Foreign Ministry in the draft treaties presented to the US and NATO in December 2021.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has confirmed Medinsky’s status in preparing for Istanbul-II. Medinsky “has conducted negotiations, so, of course, the entire array of developments is supervised by him,”Peskov said... ..Medinsky’s version of the end-of-war terms is flatly opposed by the General Staff. In the Security Council their case is argued by Deputy Chairman Medvedev. Medinsky’s appearance at the Security Council last week is a sign, Moscow sources believe, of the intensification of the debate between the Army and the President... ..For the time being, no Russian mainstream media nor alternative press have reported Medinsky’s reemergence as Putin’s personal negotiator of end-of-war terms. The military bloggers Boris Rozhin (Colonal Cassad) and Mikhail Zvinchuk (Rybar) refused to respond to questions about Medinsky’s role. Dmitry Rogozin, currently the senator representing Zaporozhye and a future presidential succession candidate, has not commented publicly on Medinsky as Putin’s spokesman for negotiations.
The Communist Party, which fiercely attacked Medinsky’s performance in Istanbul-I,has warned against the prospects for Istanbul-II but party leaders and the party spokesman refuse to answer questions on Medinsky’s current role. https://johnhelmer.net/sending-a-boy-to-do-a-mans-job-vladimir-medinsky-to-negotiate-istanbul-ii/#more-90348
Zelensky Visibly Agitated As Trump Dominates Meeting, Citing 'Very Good Relationship' With Putin Tensions were certainly on display before and during the Trump-Zelensky meeting at Trump Tower in New York. Going into the meeting, both men looked stern-faced, with Trump making a series of casual remarks which appeared aimed at gently belittling the Ukrainian leader and putting him in his place. This comes days after Zelensky went after J.D. Vance, and came close to directly criticizing Trump himself for calling for ceasefire and talks with Moscow.
"We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly," Trump said in comments made before the press going into the meeting. But that caused an agitated Zelensky to poke back:
"I hope we have more good relations," Zelensky cut in.
"Oh, I see," Trump responded. "But it takes two to tango, you know, and I we’re going to have a good meeting today. And I think the fact that we’re even together today is a very good sign." https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-criticizes-zelensky-reveals-private-message-just-friday-meeting
Desperate-Looking Biden Administration Attempt to Get 21-Day Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/desperate-looking-biden-administration-attempt-to-get-21-day-israel-lebanon-ceasefire.html
Again. Sirens Blare Overnight As Yemeni Houthis Target Tel Aviv With Ballistic Missile Israel's military has said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, and explosions were widely heard in the early night hours of Friday (local). "Following the sirens that sounded in central Israel, the surface-to-surface missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted by an 'Arrow' interceptor outside of Israeli territory," the army said in a statement. "There is currently no change to the IDF Defensive guidelines," it added. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/netanyahu-tells-military-keep-fighting-hezbollah-full-force-rules-out-ceasefire
Detailed investigative reporting on this one-way street. How Israel Torpedoed Washington’s Global Strategy. Mike Whitney https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-torpedoed-washington-global-strategy/5868661
Netanyahu rubs it in. Times of Israel, US, frustrated, says ceasefire plan rejected by Netanyahu had been coordinated with him
PM had been expected to welcome initiative on arrival in NY, relate to it in UN speech. But after outcry at home, PMO says he never backed it and he vows to keep hitting Hezbollah https://www.timesofisrael.com/pms-rejection-of-lebanon-ceasefire-plan-shatters-ties-with-biden-tv-report/
Anyway... Israel says it secured $8.7 billion military aid package from US https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4901552-israel-us-aid-package/
US Congress ‘Happy to Be Lied to’ in Service of American Imperialism – Analyst One analyst claimed lawmakers were “very happy to be lied to” by the US Secretary of State, claiming they “would have denounced Blinken for the truth.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is facing calls to resign after a damning report suggested he willfully misled Congress to keep US military aid flowing to Israel.
Analysis by the investigative reporting nonprofit ProPublica revealed that Blinken defied the findings of multiple government bodies that concluded Israel was deliberately blocking humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Blinken ignored the advice of multiple officials with the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID), testifying before lawmakers that Tel Aviv was not interfering with the flow of aid. US law forbids the provision of military equipment to any country obstructing American humanitarian assistance. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240926/us-congress-happy-to-be-lied-to-in-service-of-american-imperialism--analyst-1120293423.html
Israeli Military Chief ‘Preparing’ for Ground Offensive in Lebanon, At least 72 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon so far on Wednesday Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said Wednesday that the Israeli military was “preparing” for a potential ground offensive in Lebanon.
Halevi told a group of IDF soldiers that their “military boots will enter enemy territory” and said Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon are part of the preparations for a ground invasion. “You can hear the planes above, we are attacking all day. Both to prepare the area for the possibility of your entry [into Lebanon], and also to continue causing blows to Hezbollah.” https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/25/israeli-military-chief-preparing-for-ground-offensive-in-lebanon/#gsc.tab=0
Israel calls up to 8000 reserves to enter conflict with Hezbollah The Israeli military announced Wednesday afternoon that two reserve brigades will be called up for deployment in Operation Northern Arrows.
“In accordance with the situational assessment, the IDF is calling up two reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena,” the IDF said.
“This will enable the continuation of combat against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the defense of the State of Israel, and create the conditions to enable the residents of northern Israel to return to their homes.” https://endtimeheadlines.org/2024/09/israel-calls-up-to-8000-reserves-to-enter-conflict-with-hezbollah/#google_vignette
Lebanon braces for 1982-type Israeli invasion, Lebanese civilians fleeing the south in expectation of an Israeli offensive to push Hezbollah out of border regions https://asiatimes.com/2024/09/lebanon-braces-for-1982-type-israeli-invasion/
Russian Missile Defences Block Israeli Attack on Western Syria The Russian Armed Forces have reportedly shot down 13 Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace, after the Israeli Air Force attempted to launch an attack on the city of Tartus in Western Syria on the Mediterranean coast... The Russian military presence in Syria is heavily concentrated in the Western province of Latakia, primarily around Khmeimim Airbase and a naval facility in the city of Tartus. Both facilities have gained growing strategic importance for Russia in recent years... Russian air defence systems deployed at Khmeimim Airbase include the long range S-400 and S-300V4, the medium range BuK-M2 and the short range Pantsir-S, as well as various electronic warfare assets... While Israeli cruise missile attacks on Syria have consistently used subsonic missiles, the S-400 and S-300V4 have proven capable of intercepting targets travelling at hypersonic speeds of over Mach 8. Both can have engagement ranges of up to 400 kilometres, depending on the missiles they are equipped with, allowing them to engage targets across Israeli airspace and beyond. If either of the systems did fire on Israeli missiles, it would likely be their first ever kinetic use in the Syria theatre. https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-defences-block-israel-syria
Andrew Korybko, Lavrov Reminded The World That Russia Is Committed To Ensuring Israel’s Security Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used his latest interview with Sky News Arabia to remind the world about the true state of his country’s relations with Israel, to which Russia remains committed in ensuring its security contrary to what the MSM and AMC have claimed. He’s not “playing 5D chess” to “psyche out the Zionists” like some from the second media camp might imagine but is simply doing his job by articulating Russia’s foreign policy as it objectively exists. Here’s what he told his interlocutor:
“When some officials justify their actions by saying that they - the Jewish people - were victims of the Holocaust and therefore can be forgiven, this is a troubling trend. It is a sign of the exceptionalism characteristic of Hitler’s Germany and its ideology.
I have many friends in Israel. The vast majority of them understand that the issue of a Palestinian state must be resolved and that suppressing the natural rights of the Palestinian people is unacceptable.
Personally, I have good relations with many of my Israeli colleagues, including former ones. When speaking about the Middle East policy, President Vladimir Putin highlights Russia’s full commitment to security and fundamental interests of the State of Israel.
It is not for nothing that I mentioned the necessity of implementing the resolutions that require resolving the Middle East issues on a two-state basis, so that two independent and sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, exist as good neighbours, safely for each other and for the entire region. This essential approach needs no explanation; it complies with the interests of both Israel and Palestine.
We always stress in all our actions that no solutions are going to be viable if they fail to ensure Israel’s security, among other things, but not at the expense of the security of others.”...
..The caveat though is that this should “not (be) at the expense of the security of others”, ergo why Russia continues to adhere to UNSC Resolutions calling for a two-state solution since it sincerely believes that this is essential to sustainably resolving the so-called ‘Palestinian Question’. This policy contrasts with Israel’s, which has unilaterally decided to ignore international law, thus lending false credence to the MSM and AMC’s claims that Russia is against Israel even though the aforesaid insight disproves that. Russian diplomats have worked hard to carefully balance between Israel and the Iranian-led Resistance Axis.
Israel Kills 39 More Palestinians in Gaza, Bombs Another School Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli forces killed another 39 Palestinians and wounded 86 in the previous 24-hour period.
The latest violence brings the ministry’s death toll since October 7, 2023, to 41,534 and the number of wounded to 96,092. The toll is an undercount since it doesn’t include the estimated 10,000 people who are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
“There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry said on Telegram. https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/26/israel-kills-39-more-palestinians-in-gaza-strikes-another-school/#gsc.tab=0
Destroying water lines and sewage systems causes cholera epidemics: Israeli bulldozers do extensive damage to West Bank infrastructure The military vehicles, deployed in Tulkarem and Jenin during two weeks of intense raids beginning in late August, “tore up mile after mile of streets and alleys, leaving sewage to seep into the deep ruts left behind,” the Times report said. https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/09/25/733960/Israeli-bulldozers-wreak-havoc-on-West-Bank-infrastructure
Iraqi resistance drone attack hits Israel’s Eilat port Iraq’s Islamic Resistance has launched a drone strike on the Israeli-occupied port of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) in response to Israeli atrocities in Lebanon and Gaza... Social media videos showed smoke rising from the port area following the strike. https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/09/25/733965/Iraqi-resistance-drone-attack-hits-Israel-Eilat-port
Hezbollah's rocket salvos pummel Israeli sites, settlements Hezbollah's resistance fighters launched 130 rockets in two operations, responding to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon. On Thursday noon, Hezbollah announced that its fighters fired salvos of rockets at the settlement city of Kiryat Motzkin, one of four small cities that make up the densely-populated Krayot settlement to the north of Haifa.
The Resistance then renewed its rocket attacks on the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems military-industrial complex, located to the north of occupied Haifa, in the Zvulun Valley.
Islamic Resistance fighters then fired salvos of Falaq-2-type rockets at the settlement city of Kiryat Shmona, near the Palestinian-Lebanese border. Impacts of multiple rockets were recorded on Thursday. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-s-rocket-salvos-pummel-israeli-sites--settlements
Hezbollah bombs Israeli arms factory, forces fighter jets to withdraw The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah announced Wednesday that its fighters launched rockets targeting a bomb material factory in Zikhron, occupied southern Haifa, using a barrage of Fadi-3 rockets.
For the second time on Wednesday, Hezbollah struck the settlement of Kiryat Motzkin with volleys of Fadi-1 rockets. Concurrently, Hezbollah's air defense units engaged two hostile fighter jets near the Lebanese towns of Houla and Mays al-Jabal to force them out of Lebanese airspace. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-bombs-israeli-arms-factory--forces-fighter-jets-to
Israel's war on Lebanon: What arms does Hezbollah have?
Group's capabilities include missiles and drones as well as a large number of battle-hardened fighters, should Israel invade south Lebanon https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/israel-war-lebanon-what-arms-hezbollah-have
Reuters, 9/24/24, Exclusive: Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen's Houthis, sources say https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-brokering-talks-send-advanced-russian-missiles-yemens-houthis-sources-say-2024-09-24/
Pravda, 9/26/24, Russia to transfer long-range anti-ship P-800 Onyx missiles to Yemeni Houthis, Yemeni Houthis to use Russian P-800 Onyx missiles to sink US aircraft carriers. https://english.pravda.ru/news/world/160745-russia-onyx-yemeni-houthis/
Yemen’s Houthis claim attacks on Israeli cities, US warships, Iran-aligned group says it will continue its attacks on Israel until its ‘aggression on Lebanon and Gaza stops’. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/27/yemens-houthis-claim-to-have-targeted-israels-tel-aviv-and-ashkelon
I read that there were 5 teams of assassins gunning for Trump. He needs protection. Iran is not in the room... Trump Pushes Narrative That Iran Is Trying to Kill Him The Trump campaign was briefed on alleged threats from Iran by Biden's Office of the Director of National Intelligence https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/25/trump-pushes-narrative-that-iran-is-trying-to-kill-him/#gsc.tab=0
India can never trust China. they have a long history. Indian Foreign Minister Throws Cold Water on the Idea of a BRICS Currency The remarks by the highly respected Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar should put paid to the idea that a BRICS currency is coming soon, if ever. Jaishankar raises a series of particular issues consistent with a point we have made: that a common currency would require a very substantial legal and systems architecture. Agreeing on the legal structure would entail a reduction of sovereignty(BRICS rulings would have to supercede national courts) which seems contrary to the notion that BRICS is meant to increase, rather than reduce, national sovereignty. Jaishankar also points out, as we have, that the BRICS nations are too economically diverse (as in often divergent) to make a common scheme work easily if at all.
Jaishankar points out that bi-lateral currency deals work well enough and appear satisfactory to most BRICS members. That does leave unsolved the point that your humble blogger and Michael Hudson have raise: thatabsent mechanisms to encourage balanced trade such as the ones that were part of Keynes’ Bancor, many countries are likely to wind up with sustained trade deficits relative to particular trade partners. What happens when those countries wind up with a lot more of that currency than they want? https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/indian-foreign-minister-throws-cold-water-on-the-idea-of-a-brics-currency.html
Holding to many bad loans... China Weighs $142 Billion Capital Injection Into Top Banks China is considering injecting up to 1 trillion yuan ($142 billion) of capital into its biggest state banks to increase their capacity to support the struggling economy, according to people familiar with the matter.
The funding will mainly come from the issuance of new special sovereign bonds, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. The details have yet to be finalized. https://archive.is/rZyFa#selection-1687.0-1691.189
Boeing merged with failing and corrupt McDonnell-Douglas in 1997. Engineering lost to money-suckers. Boeing Machinists on Strike Have a Historic Opportunity In a potentially game-changing move, 33,000 Boeing machinists in the Pacific Northwest, unionized with IAM District 751, are on strike after rejecting the company’s initial insulting contract offer. A stunning 96 percent of the rank and file voted to go on strike, marking a sea change for the fight of working people at Boeing. For decades, Boeing’s executives and wealthy shareholders have, with the active help from Democrats and Republicans in Washington state and Washington D.C., enforced a decades-long brutal regime that has thrown both workers and safety standards under the bus in favor of short-term profit maximization for themselves. https://scheerpost.com/2024/09/26/boeing-machinists-on-strike-have-a-historic-opportunity/
Trump's Plan To Bolster The Economy In a bid to build a broader coalition, former President Donald Trump has outlined a vision of tax cuts, import tariffs, and “reciprocal trade” to preserve and restore American industries... “So, as your president, here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth,” he said at a Tuesday event in Savannah, Ga. “I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America.” “It all goes away if you don't make your product here and hire American workers for the job,” he warned. https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/wedtaxes-and-tariffs-and-trade-oh-my-trumps-plan-bolster-economy
9.9% of respondents to EPA poll believe that humans are the dominant cause of climate change. EPA poll shows 90% reject the climate hoax. https://x.com/JunkScience/status/1838573685772255684
Lawfare: Censorship by Wealth and Power Works Again: Journal pressured to retract study on covid-19 vaccine harms
Vaccine manufacturer sues researchers for defamation and demands retraction of a study describing adverse events after covid-19 vaccination.
Get 'em if you can: Website for free COVID tests crashes as FDA appears to show September’s availability date Some visitors to the government’s website received a ‘service unavailable’ error message on Monday, indicating high demand for the tests. https://www.fastcompany.com/91195734/free-covid-tests-2024-website-crashes-fda-appears-availability-date
Fluoride in Water Poses ‘Unreasonable Risk’ to Children, Federal Judge Rules
A federal judge rejected the EPA’s argument that the exact level at which fluoride is hazardous is too unclear to determine if the chemical presents an unreasonable risk, and ruled the agency must take regulatory action. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/fluoridation-risk-kids-landmark-decision/
I enjoyed talking to one of my med-school classmates, who had an undergraduate degree in Nutrition. She noted out loud one day that I was "a healthy snacker". ;-) Diet-Related Diseases Are the No. 1 Cause of Death in the US – Yet Many Doctors Receive Little to No Nutrition Education in Med School https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/diet-related-diseases-are-the-no-1-cause-of-death-in-the-us-yet-many-doctors-receive-little-to-no-nutrition-education-in-med-school.html
Former CDC Director Robert Redfield Praises "Make America Healthy Again" https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/former-cdc-director-robert-redfield-praises-make-america-healthy-again
Healthy Snacker (pictured again with second hand frog bowl full of tomatoes and peppers)
I’m a health stacker too… carrots, celery, apples, mandarins, avocados.
Fresh food is best, though I do like good cheese and crackers and yogurt
That frog bowl is a treasure!