I’ve already printed out my copy. Watch the show they co-hosted this week, (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003511545399),

Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline

https://www.youtube.com/@BlowbackExposingImperial-hh8ig

Outline

TOPICAL

ASSANGE IS FREE – Feels like a very bittersweet victory, but understandable. He was drained of life, who knows what’s next..

TERRORIST ATTACKS – In Makhachkala and Derbent Dagestan’s Caspian shore, and on Sevastopol’s Black Sea beach.

NARRATIVE ATTACKS – Trump and Farage – days apart – attacked the main narrative pillar : The ‘unprovoked’ invasion.

KENYAN UPRISING – William Ruto visited DC, got an IMF loan, sent troops to Haiti. But the tax burden sparked a fire.

VIDEOCLIPS

– New EU High Representative : https://x.com/kajakallas/status/1677659297600217091

– Jürgen publishes ATACMS : https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/1804963139995500751

– Ukraine escape attempt : https://x.com/distant_earth83/status/1805535326376497252

– Assange Saipan court : https://x.com/Kanthan2030/status/1805732339470795185

– Sunak sanctions Brits : https://x.com/Kanthan2030/status/1804469269700214863

– Gallant at Pentagon : https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1805627997690773689

– Miller on Crimea : https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1805313286834966800

– AOC ‘Politics’ : https://x.com/thinking_panda/status/1805509644628246983

---

THE MAIN THINGS

ASSANGE IS FREE

– EUK: Julian Assange expected to plead guilty, avoid further prison time as part of deal with US – court document ( ABC )

        ┝ He has entered the plea deal, which looks to trade a guilty verdict for ‘restrictions’ and ‘time served’ in Britain

        ┝ In the US he would have faced 4 death sentences + 4008 years in prison for espionage under US law

┝ The ‘restrictions’ can be anything – publishing documents, social media, discussing the deal, leaving Australia.

┝ He was seen leaving Belmarsh prison UK and boarding an airplane > Bangkok, Malaysia 

┝ He will then transfer on to Saipan, Mariana Islands, and sign the deal at a US federal court there.

        ┝ He will then be free to return home to Australia which looks to be his plan, even though…

        ┝ He ‘paid his dues’ – 14 years a fugitive, 5 years imprisoned – former US intelligence chief James Clapper told CNN

┝ Stella Assange began an urgent fundraiser for $520,000 debt incurred by jet flight to Australia.

┝ Stella Assange ask everyone to monitor her husband’s plane in US airspace ‘in case something goes wrong’

┝ All files on Wikileaks related to DNC Email Archive have been removed – ‘Internal Server Error’

        ┕ Colombian President Gustavo Petro invited him to Colombia as ‘an act of true freedom’ though.

TERROR ATTACKS

– RUC: Dagestan terrorist attack targets synagogues, churches kill civilians, at least 15 police officers ( RT / Tass RU )

        ┝ The attacks took place on Trinity Sunday, a Pravoslav Holiday – in capital Makhachkala, and Derbent city

┝ The terrorists attacked two Orthodox Churches and two Synagogues in the two cities

        ┝ Most of the victims were law enforcement, Father Nikolay Kotenlikov – his throat slit on the pulpit

        ┝ The counter-terrorism operation wrapped up by evening, eliminating all 5 militants, search for accomplices underway

┝ Dagestan declared three days of mourning after the death toll reached at least 20 people – officials

        ┝ Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov condemned the ‘vile and cowardly’ act, offered help in investigations

        ┝ Patriarch Kirill said the attacks had ‘diabolic’ intent, to create religious division in Dagestan.

        ┝ The AP found an ISIS-K ‘affiliate’ in Afghanistan to say ‘brothers in the Caucasus showed that they are still strong’

┕ Multiple countries condemned the attack : All of central Asia, China, Iran, Israel, the SCO

– RUC: Ukrainian / US ATACMS missile attack on Sevastopol beach killed at least four, two children ( RT / Tass RU )

        ┝ Among the four dead are a two-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl playing on the city beach

        ┝ 151 people sought medical help, 82 of them were hospitalized – 55 adults and 27 children

        ┝ The projectile was a MEM cluster munition – one of five – that veered off course. Fuzzy where it was intended.

        ┝ The Russian MFA issued a statement stating that that Washington’s role in the attack was ‘indisputable’

        ┝ A US Global Hawk was in the sky near Crimea at the time and targeting was ultimately done by US specialists.

        ┝ Russia also summoned the US ambassador Lynne M. Tracy and told her ‘response measures will definitely follow’

┝ The British Telegraph reported a ‘Ukrainian ATACMS’ explosion over the beach – cowards

┝ If Russia’s concentrated about casualties, they should stop this war – Pentagon spox Pat Ryder

┝ On Sunday US restrictions put key Russian air bases out of firing range – 62 mi / 100 km –  officials told WaPo

        ┕ The US Pentagon made a statement that it has ‘nothing to say’ about the strike

NARRATIVE ATTACKS

– USC: Donald Trump said that Biden’s NATO plans provoked the Ukraine war – on David Sacks’ ‘All In’ podcast ( online )

        ┕ As far as I can tell – other than Asia Times – the western media ignored him completely

– EUK: Nigel Farage said the West – NATO / EU expansion – provoked Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine in interview ( BBC UK )

        ┝ Boris Johnson said he was ‘parroting Putin’s lies’ on Ukraine

        ┝ Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak condemned him as ‘completely wrong’ | ‘disgraceful’

        ┝ Ben Wallace called him a ‘pub bore’ with simplistic answers who is ‘consistently wrong’

        ┝ The British MoD issued a ‘myth-busting’ NATO video to ‘de-bunk’ his remarks

        ┝ Even Elensky said he was infected with the ‘Virus of Putin‘  for blaming the West

        ┝ Richard Kemp and Hamish de-Bretton-Gordon wrote op-eds condemning him

        ┝ George Galloway defended him against ‘paper thin’ establishment narrative

        ┕ Farage defended his remarks despite ‘furore’ – has been saying it since 2014

KENYAN UPRISING

– AFR: Kenya’s parliament burns as protesters object to new taxes. Clashes spread and bodies are counted ( AP )

        ┝ President William Ruto visited the White House becoming major US friend earlier this year

┝ The IMF gave Kenya $940m ‘loan boost’ to ease ‘financial pressures’ earlier this year

        ┝ Biden designated Kenya as ‘major non-NATO ally’ in a White House memorandum on Monday

        ┝ Kenya-led security force arrives in Haiti – US ‘recruited’ countries, funded and armed them, Monday

        ┝ Kenya’s new Finance Bill – written by the IMF – is expected to pass on Tuesday.

        ┝ Protests begin in Nairobi on Tuesday, thousands seen, at least 10-20 dead in crackdown

┝ Russian flags spotted – as universal sign of hope in Africa – Police use live rounds on protesters

┝ Kenyan authorities threaten to shut down KTV News due to its coverage of the protests

        ┝ President Ruto is reported fleeing, evacuated from his Nairobi statehouse

        ┕ President Ruto addresses the nation from unknown location, calling the protesters ‘treasonous’

---

THE EUROPEAN FRONT

COUNTRY 404

– 404: Russia launches massive 6,600p glide bombs at Ukraine – will overwhelm A/D, break defense strategy ( National Interest )

– 404: Facing annihilation – the Ukrainian towns praying for Western reinforcements – Donetsk pay price for delays ( Times UK )

– 404: Ukraine expands draft, some men go into hiding – ‘holed up at home’ to avoid draft officers who ‘roam the streets‘ ( NYT )

– 404: Ukraine’s prisoners flock to the frontline for ‘revenge, not amnesty’ – low morale bolstered by inmates ( Telegraph UK )

– 404: Ukraine‘s naval drones ‘turn the tide’ in the battle of the Black Sea – a ‘revolution in modern warfare’ ( WSJ ☆ )  

——————————————————

– 404: Ukraine needs ‘sizeable private debt forgiveness‘ – must be ‘firm’ with bondholders – Editorial Board ( FT UK 💬 )

– 404: Ukraine should attract 300,000 migrants annually – ‘attracting’ migrants is necessary now ( Ukrainian Review )

– 404: Biden‘s LNG export pause hits Ukraine – DTEK/Venture Global deal with faces White House obstacle ( WSJ )

– 404: Russia hits Ukraine‘s power system for eighth time since march – Ukroenergo ( Bloomberg )

——————————————————

– 404: Elensky hails ‘historic step’ as EU set to open Ukraine accession talks – ‘realizing the European dream’ ( Guardian UK )

– 404: Elensky demanded ‘bold decisions’ from allies as US accused of ‘restricting weapons’ in WaPo ( Telegraph UK )

– 404: Elensky replaced the AFU joint forces commander Sodol ‘amid criticism and military failures’ ( Kyiv Post )

– 404: Elensky due in Brussels to sign defense pact, talk about EU entry midweek – officials ( DPA DE )

– 404: Elensky ordered purge of Ukraine state guard after alleged assassination plots ( Reuters )

SPONSORS | THE INSANE

– USC: Biden administration moves toward allowing American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine – officials ( CNN )

– USC: Trump handed plan to halt US military aid to Kiev unless it talks peace with Moscow – freeze fronts ( Reuters ☆ )

– USC: US to fund printing of more than 3 million textbooks for Ukrainian students – ‘Bandera books’ – Russia ( CNN )

– USC: Two years into the war, the world still stands with Ukraine – Mark Temnycky, Atlantic Council ( The Hill 💬 )

——————————————————

– EUK: Russia is crumbling from within – war sowing ‘internal discord’ – can’t be deflected – Samuel Ramani ( Telegraph UK 💬 )

– EUK: Norway to stockpile 82,500 tons of grain by 2030 – Agriculture Ministry prepares for ‘unthinkable‘ – statement ( RT RU )

– EUK: Macron will urge EU leaders to boost defense spending, EU defense bonds demand– opposed by Germany ( FT UK )

– EUK: NATO considers ‘bridge to membership‘ for Ukraine – no details – to ‘craft more support‘ before DC summit ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Door to Georgia accession will be closed, people will pay the consequences, will suffer – Borrell statement ( EEAS )

– EUK ‘Negotiations‘ seal EU top jobs deal – Ursula Commission, Costa Council, Kallas ‘High Representative‘ ( Euronews )

– EUK: Britain‘s ‘greatest military historian’ – Richard Overy – says it’s too late to stop World War 3 ( Telegraph UK 💬 )

– EUK: European Court of Human Rights finds Russia guilty of violating human rights in Crimea ( KYiv ‘Independent’ )

– EUK: The EU’s race to lock in Ukraine long-term support – fear of Hungarian veto, Trump presidency ( Euractiv )

– EUK: NATO to formally appoint Mark Rutte to succeed Stoltenberg as alliance boss on Wednesday ( Reuters )

– EUK: Poland ‘not ruling out’ closing two remaining border crossings with Belarus – FM Sikorski ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Borrell to Serbia – ‘close ties with Russia are incompatible with the EU values‘ ( Euronews Albania )

——————————————————

– EUK: Russia ‘started’ Berlin factory fire as part of ‘hybrid war on Europe‘ – unnamed Western security officials ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Scholz received information about the Putin attack in Berlin – Diehl Defense fire – zero evidence ( Bild DE )

        ┕ German police and insurance reports refer to a technical defect

– EUK: EU padopted 14th round of sanctions in ‘hard-hitting package’ against Russia – Ursula ( Euronews, RT, Tass RU )

        ┝ EU companies responsible that their foreign subsidiaries comply with sanctions

        ┝ bans EU investment, service and trade with Russian LNG projects for 1st time ( Arctic-2, Murmansk )

        ┝ bans EU imports of Russian helium, manganese, plastics, rare earths and electronic components

        ┝ bans EU airlines from operating charter and private flights for Russians

        ┝ bans EU banks from using Russian SPFS messaging system

        ┝ sanctions 27 ships identified as Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’

        ┝ sanctions 61 firms from Russia, China, UAE, Türkiye for ‘dual use’ exports

        ┕ includes sanctions on persons, like ‘Chechen dictator’ Kadyrov‘s mother, Shaman, media people

– EUK: The EU devised a ‘legal loophole‘ to bypass Hungarian veto on support for Ukraine ( FT UK )

┝ Budapest should have no say on how profits of Russia’s frozen assets are used – Borrell

┝ This is because Hungary abstained from earlier decision to create the UAF – Ukraine Assistance Fund

┝ EU approved a first tranche of up to €1.4b on Monday – for purchase of ammunition, defense

┝ Ukraine will get first military aid from proceeds of frozen assets next week – Borrell

        ┕ Hungary seeks to challenge EU decision – absolute red line – assembled legal team – FM Szijjártó

– RUC: Russian, US defense chiefs exchange views on Ukraine in first phone call – Belousov–Austin ( Tass RU )

– RUC: ICC issues arrest warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov – Russia does not recognize jurisdiction ( RT RU )

– RUC: Russia working on a big treaty with Iran – negotiated in Tehran, Moscow – Maria Zakharova ( Reuters )

– RUC: Russia has blocked more than 80 European media outlets – Foreign Ministry ( Tass RU )

– RUC: Russia can only rely on itself when it comes to weapons – Putin tells Zarubin ( RT RU )

SPONSORS | THE SOBERING?

– USC: Putin shows he can antagonize the US far afield from Ukraine – DPRK, VN summits can ‘inflict pain’ on US, NATO ( NYT )

– USC: Putin came to Asia to ‘disrupt’ and he succeeded – injecting more ‘potential threats’ into strained region ( NYT )

– USC: US exceptionalism is dead no matter who wins the elections – Andreas Kluth ( Bloomberg 💬 )

——————————————————

– EUK: Bulgaria’s ‘pro-Russia far-right’ party wants to form government – conditions : leaving NATO, rejecting Europe ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Confiscating Moscow‘s assets runs unpredictable legal / financial risks – Belgian FM van Peteghem warns ( RT RU )

– EUK: German opposition – CDU Friedrich Merz, likely chancellor – shifts on Ukraine with call for peace talks ( Times UK )

– EUK: Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office launches investigation Transparency International local branch ( Reuters )

– EUK: Slovakia files criminal complaint against ex-PM Heger, ed-DM Nad for giving Ukraine fighter jets ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Hungary blocks joint EU statement denouncing Russia‘s media ban – we banned theirs first ( Euronews )

– EUK: Training on Ukrainian pilots on Danish soil stops after 2024 – DM Troels Lund Poulsen ( Finans DK )

SPONSORS | THE SCARED?

– EUK: Europe’s shrinking armies struggling to find soldiers – US help not guaranteed, UK-DE-FR-IT decline ( FT UK Big Read )

– EUK: Emmanuel Macron triggered France’s Brexit moment, warns Michel Barnier – EU chief negotiator ( Telegraph UK ☆ )

– EUK: Emmanuel Macron says ready to talk to Putin – The French leader ‘believes in the power of dialogue’ ( Tass RU )

– EUK: Nationalism is not the answer for French voters – Pistorius at joint Polish–German press conference ( Reuters )

– EUK: Olaf Scholz said SPD support for Ukraine is linked to its declining popularity – Tagesschau interview ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Even Macron’s closest allies fear his brand is toxic – complicating lives by refusing to keep quiet ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: The French election risks ‘torpedoing the global order‘ – for the EU, NATO and the West ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Macron warned of ‘civil war‘ if Melanchon‘s ‘far left’ – or Le Pen‘s ‘far right’ wins ( Politico EU )

SPONSORS | THE BROKE

– USC: US Air Force ousts head of its troubled $131b ICBM program – Colonel Charles Clegg – loss of confidence ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Fearing losses, banks are quietly dumping real estate loans –  If landlords can’t pay back loans, banks will suffer ( NYT )

– USC: US borrowing binge risks market strains, analysts warn – Treasury bills forecast to soar above $6tn ( FT UK 💬 )

– USC: Egregious Pentagon delays reflect problem the military is just starting to solve – Editorial Board ( WaPo )

– USC: US defense industry faces uncertainty despite production ‘boomlet’ – needs longer-term funding ( FT UK )

– USC: US shoppers tighten their belts in a most unlikely place: the grocery store – food sales contract ( FT UK )  

– USC: Biden may have a petrol problem – Voters are worried about inflation and gas prices ( FT UK )

——————————————————

– EUK: Le Pen‘s protégé Bardella plotting ‘Thatcher assault on EU‘ – cut France’s contribution to EU budget by €2b ( Times UK )

– EUK: With Macron distracted, Germany shuts down push for joint EU debt – no preparation for joint bonds done ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: France could trigger the next euro crisis – Runaway budget deficit & confrontation w Brussels – Rachman ( FT UK 💬 )

– EUK: German business insolvencies surge in first half of 2024 – 10-year high, 30% up from 2023, 11,000 Jan-Jun ( FAZ DE )

– EUK: Wealthy foreigners step up plans to leave UK as taxes increase – ‘non dom’ tax on overseas income ( FT UK )

– EUK: French businesses blame ‘political uncertainty’ for drop in orders – sharp slowdown in Eurozone ( FT UK )

– EUK: Britons think UK is in a bad way, but French more pessimistic – new yougov poll ( Guardian UK ☆ )

– EUK: EU economies with high debt ‘need dose of austerity‘ – IMF tells in annual assessment ( Times UK )

– EUK: French Airbus missing – millions of  – parts ‘everywhere’ forces cutback of targets ( Bloomberg )

---

THE ASIAN FRONT

THE TRADE WAR

– USC: Boeing staff demand 40% pay rise amid 737 Max crisis – and 50 year employment guarantees in Seattle ( Telegraph UK )

– USC: Boeing should face criminal charges over deadly crashes, prosecutors say – violating $2.5bn deal to avoid it ( Times UK )

– USC: US ‘on schedule’ in race with China to land people on the Moon – ‘within a few years‘ – NASA chief Bill Nelson ( WaPo )

– USC: Astronauts stranded in space do not know when they’ll return to Earth – analysts examine Boeing Starliner ( Times UK )

– USC: US Amb Nicholas Burns says China undermining diplomacy – weaken US stending and activities in China ( WSJ ☆ )

– USC: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland calls China‘s EVs a threat to Canada and vows to fight back ( Toronto Star )

        ┕ ‘threatening’ workers by ‘unfairly cranking up‘ cheap EVs – must defend ‘nascent and heavily subsidized‘ EV sector

——————————————————

– EUK: China, EU agree to hold talks on EV tariffs – Wang Wentao and Valdis Dombrovskis VC on Saturday ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: Germany urges EU–China trade talks but criticizes Beijing’s exports to Russia – Habeck in Shanghai ( FT UK )

– EUK: Habeck urges China to stop ‘circumventing EU sanctions on Russia‘ – discuss ‘dual-use goods’ ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: Polish President Duda visits China – talked with Xi on Monday about Ukraine, peace and trade ( AP )

– EUK: Habeck blames China‘s Russia support for worsening Berlin–Beijing relations ( Politico EU )

┕ EU tariffs are ‘not a punishment’ but ‘compensation for advantages’

——————————————————

– RUC: China becomes first country to retrieve rocks from the Moon‘s far side – Chang’e-6 mission’s sample lands ( NYT )

– RUC: Chinese experts urge EU to scrap tariffs on Chinese EVs by July 4 – consultations begin ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: Russian tourism to China surged 26% in 2024 – despite turn East, Türkiye retained top stop ( RT RU )

– RUC: Chang’e-7 landed safely on Earth with historic samples from the far side of the moon ( Xinhua CN )

– RUC: Chinese Prime Minister Qiang canceled meeting with Robert Habeck ( Welt DE )

THE PACIFIC THEATER

– USC: US East Asia envoy – Kittenbrink – says South China Sea situation ‘deeply concerning‘ – in Hanoi after Putin ( Reuters )

– USC: US aircraft carrier – Theodore Roosevelt – arrives in South Korea as a ‘show of force against nuclear-armed NK‘ ( AP )

– USC: US welcomed Vietnam planning and investment minister for economic talks days after Putin visits Hanoi ( Reuters )

– USC: US and Philippines seek to de-escalate after sea skirmish with China – near Second Thomas Shoal ( WaPo )

——————————————————

– ASO: Japan condemns ‘intolerable’ US army after soldier charged with rape of teenager – incident in Okinawa ( Telegraph UK )

– ASO: Oxford anglophile ’emperor’ Naruhito on first state visit to UK – looking to ‘augment’ alliance with US there ( Times UK )

– ASO: Drag goes mainstream in the Philippines – a ‘bastion of christianity’ – ‘political statement’ and ‘self expression’ ( NYT )

– ASO: Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council says Beijing ‘has no jurisdiction’ – urges not to be ‘threatened or intimidated’ ( ABC )

– ASO: Filipinos doubt US reliability as Marcos deescalates – Manila and Washington press for diplomacy ( Asia Times )

– ASO: Japanese ’emperor’ greeted with pomp and pageantry on UK state visit – received by King at parade ( Times UK )

– ASO: Vietnam reaffirms ‘Strategic Partnership’ with US a day after Putin visit – FM Bui Than Son ( Vietnam+ VN )

– ASO: Fresh ‘unrest’ in New Caledonia after independence activists flown to France for detention ( Guardian UK )

– ASO: Thailand to send farm workers to Israel – first time since 10-7 – target is 10,000 – Labor Ministry ( Reuters )

– ASO: India supplied Israel with Hermes drones, other weapons from joint factory – Ynet report ( MEMO UK )

– ASO: Autocracy is ‘evil‘ – Taiwan president Lai says after China threatens death for separatism ( Reuters )

– ASO: The Philippines seeks US ‘clarification’ on the Pentagon anti-vax propaganda operation ( Reuters )

– ASO: Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin to pay working visit to China June 24-27 ( Reuters )

——————————————————

– RUC: China issues judicial guidelines on punishment on diehard ‘Taiwan independence’ forces ( Global Times CN )

---

THE WEST ASIAN FRONT

THE FRONTS

– USC: ‘They miscalculated‘ – Gaza‘s $230m floating aid pier failing to deliver in rough seas – future in question ( Guardian UK )

– USC: US warns of Hezbollah ‘provocations’ as diplomats try to avert Israel–Lebanon war – Austin meets Gallant ( FT UK )

– USC: ‘It’s all happening again‘ – Houthis intensify strikes on Suez-bound ships, global shipping prices are soaring ( NYT )

– USC: ‘No one knows what he’s going to say‘– White House fears mount about Bibi‘s Washington DC visit ( Politico US )

– USC: US hasn’t withheld weapons for Israel, but it’s done fast-tracking them – unnamed US official ( Times of Israel )

– USC: Canada urges citizens to leave Lebanon citing unpredictable security situation – FM Melanie Joly ( Reuters )

– USC: Democrats wrestle with whether to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress as many plan to boycott ( AP )

– USC: US offers assurances to Israel this week in the event of full-blown war with Hezbollah – Hochstein ( CNN )

– USC: US likely unable to assist Israel in war with Hezbollah – US JCOS chair Charles Brown ( Times of Israel )

– USC: Iran liable to join fight if Israel takes on Hezbollah – US JCOS chair Charles Brown ( Times of Israel )

——————————————————

– EUK: It is ‘absolutely unacceptable‘ for Hezbollah to threaten Cyprus – ‘a member of the EU‘ – Greek FM ( eKathimerini GR )

– EUK: British ‘sovereign bases’ in Cyprus have not hosted Israeli aircraft or personnel in war – Foreign Office ( Times UK )

– EUK: The Middle East is drifting leaderless to catastrophe. War is just an airstrike away – Tisdall ( Guardian UK 💬 )

– EUK: New German citizens must declare Israel’s right to exist – overhaul ‘to adhere to country’s values‘ ( FT UK )

– EUK: Germany’s Baerbock slams Israel’s settlement expansion plans, human rights violations ( MEMO UK )

– EUK: Annalena Baerbock travels Israel, West Bank, Lebanon – her eighth trip since 10-7 ( Guardian UK )

– EUK: Germany‘s Baerbock calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza, ahead of her Israel visit ( Andalou TR )

– EUK: Cyprus stresses neutrality after Hezbollah threat over Israel war – ‘a pillar of peace’ ( Guardian UK )

——————————————————

– AFR: US military looks for West Africa ‘Plan B’ after Niger ousting – JCOS chair General Brown lands in Botswana ( Reuters )

– AFR: Many African nations want France out, but Kagame‘s Rwanda is ’embracing’ French influence ( NYT )

——————————————————

– WEA: Suspected Yemen attack targets vessel further away – 450km / 280mi – than previous assaults – UKMTO ( AP )

– WEA: Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets a ship in the Gulf of Aden as the Eisenhower reportedly heads home ( AP )

– WEA: Israeli drone strike kills Hamas ‘weapons supplier’ 25 miles inside Lebanon – Bekaa district ( Times UK )

– WEA: Thousands of rebels offer to joint Hezbollah in fight against Israel – Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan ( AP )

THE GENOCIDE

– PAL: Dozens killed in Israeli strikes in densely populated Gaza locations – aimed at ‘senior Hamas commander’ ( Guardian UK )

– PAL: Israeli airstrike on Gaza clinic killed directors of directors Ambulance and Emergency Department ( Reuters )

——————————————————

– UN: Half-million Gazans face catastrophic hunger levels – aid has collapsed – UN-backed report ( WaPo )

– UN: UNRWA chief Lazzarini urges world to push back against efforts to disband agency ( Reuters )

THE TUMOR STATE

– ISR: Arriving in the US, DM Gallant says meetings ‘critical for the future of the war’ – ‘transition’ to a new stage ( Times of Israel )

– ISR: Israeli defense minister Gallant ‘tries to calm tensions‘ on Washington visit – meeting White House officials ( Times UK )

– ISR: Netanyahu reiterates claim that the US is withholding weapon deliveries – ‘dramatic drop’ in arms shipments ( Euronews )

– ISR: IDF troops will move from Gaza to Lebanon border – Netanyhu says – as US warned of widening conflict ( Guardian UK )

– ISR: ‘My life’s mission is to thwart establishment of Palestinian state’ – Smotrich want to annex West Bank ( Guardian UK )

– ISR: Number of Israeli disabled soldiers exceeds 70,000 since 7 October – MOD reports on Israeli channel 7 ( MEMO UK )

– ISR: Israeli commission sends Netanyahu warning – suspected wrongdoing in German Submarine purchases ( Reuters )

– ISR: Israel accepts EU invite to discuss bilateral relations – but rejects Borrell‘s suggestion to address Gaza ( Euronews )

– ISR: Netanyahu says he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal that would not end the war – Israeli Channel 14 ( AP )

– ISR: Israeli documents show expansive government effort to shape US discourse around Gaza war ( Guardian UK ☆ )

– ISR: Smotrich describes secret government bid – caught on tape – to cement control of West Bank ( NYT )

– ISR: Israel‘s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must be drafted ( RT RU )

– ISD: IDF ‘will investigate’ soldiers who tied a Palestinian man to a vehicles bonnet ( Guardian UK )

---

APPENDICES

THE AMERICAS | A JOKE

– USC: Trump freewheels towards debate as Biden rehearses at Camp David – Sunday talk show upcoming ( Guardian UK )

– USC: US gets help from group that supports elections in fragile democracies – Carter Center Democracy Program ( FT UK )

– USC: Rise of the Trump–Biden ‘double haters’ throws election wide open – ¼ voters – highest in history – Pew ( Times UK )

– USC: Trump conviction fuels $141m fundraising boost – every time there is a ‘surge in financial support’ ( Times UK )

——————————————————

– LAT: Sheinbaum’s American experience offers clues to her approach to US relations – years of living in California ( NYT )

APPENDIX : Legend

💬 = Opinion piece

 ☆  = Exclusive

USC = United States + Canada

RUC = Russia + China

EUK = Europe + United Kingdom | 404 = Ukraine

WEA = West Asia, formerly Middle East | ISR = Israel | PAL = Palestine

ASO = Australia + Oceania

AFR = Africa

LAT = Latin America