Ben Tóth’s current event talking point outline. Be indispensable in any conversation!

I’ve already printed out my copy. Watch the show he co-hosted this week,

Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline Show

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

Outline

THE HOLY LAND FRONT

Current death toll : 25,612 dead, 9,643 children, 3,109 women, 222 doctors, 83 journalists ( 17 Dec Euromed )

LASHING OUT AT EVERYONE

– ISR: Israel should make Gaza look like Auschwitz – council head ( Jerusalem Post )

– ISR: As China sides with Palestinians, Gaza war could strengthen Israeli ties with Taiwan ( Haaretz )

– ISR: PM: ‘I’m proud I blocked a Palestinian state. Looking at Gaza, you see what would have happened’ ( T.O.I. )

– ISR: Israeli hostages killed by IDF were holding white flag, force admits ( Times )

– ISR: Israel urging US not to talk publicly about two-state solution – officials ( T.O.Israel )

– ISR: Israel plans ‘new ground war against Hezbollah‘ ( Times of London )

– ISR: How John Kirby became one of Israel‘s leading spokespeople ( Ynet )

– ISR: War with Hamas to cost Israel above $50 billion, Calcalist reports ( Reuters )

NEIGHBORHOOD

– WEA: Southeast Iran : terrorist assault from Pakistan claims 11 police lives ( Press TV )

– WEA: We are at war with Israel using 5% force, like Russia in Ukraine – Hezbollah ( RT )

– WEA: Abu Dhabi nears deal to buy stake in Türkish port ( Izmir ) sources ( Reuters exclusive )

– WEA: President Erdogan arrives in Hungary on state visit, set to sign cooperation deals ( Andalou )

– WEA: US pressures Saudi Arabia to postpone imminent peace deal with Yemen ( Al-Akhbar > Cradle )

– WEA: Abdel Fattah El-Sisi wins third presidential term starting in several months, with 89% of the total votes ( Egypt Today )

US LOST CONTROL

– UN: UN aid chief Martin Griffiths: ‘The war in Gaza isn’t halfway through’ ( FT )

– USC: Pentagon taps ‘tiger team’ to rush weapons to Israel – Biden admin dismisses harm to civilians ( Intercept )

– USC: Al Jazeera and Reuters journalists among the many killed in ‘Israel-Hamas war’ ( CNN )

– USC: Majority of Americans 18-24 think Israel should be ended and given to Hamas ( NYP )

– USC: US rebukes Israel for more than 30 attacks on Lebanese military ( CNN )

– USC: Hostage Deaths Fuel Israelis’ Doubts About Netanyahu ( NYT)

– USC: Israel’s Allies Urge Restraint as Netanyahu Vows ‘Fight to the End’ – Austin flies to Israel ( NYT )

– USC: US – Austin – to push Israel for ‘small-scale’ raids only within three weeks ( Telegraph )

– USC: Austin meets with Gallant to talk West Bank, Gaza endgame ( Cradle )

THE MIXED EU BAG

– EUK: Netanyahu’s tactics are weakening Israel – Ben Wallace ( Telegraph )

– EUK: French Foreign Affairs Ministry official killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza ( Le Monde )

– EUK: Why the UK and Germany back ‘sustainable ceasefire’ – Cameron, Baerbock ( Sunday Times )

– EUK: UK: Israel risks breaking law with its ‘killing rage’, says Ben Wallace ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Pope Francis deplores Israeli killings of civilians in Gaza church ( Reuters )

SUEZ 2.0

– GLO: Top shipping companies suspend Red Sea journeys in fear of Yemen ( Cradle )

– GLO: Gaza Is Making Oil and Gas Markets Twitchier ( WSJ )

– GLO: A new Suez crisis threatens the world economy – 53% of global container trade ( Economist )

– ISR: ZIM Shipping – owned by Israeli oligarch Idan Ofer – shipping from $100 to $400 / container ( ZIM.com )

– WEA: Shipping giants suspend journeys through Red Sea as Saudis voice concern ( PressTV )

– WEA: IRGC: US aircraft carrier Eisenhower exits Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf ( PressTV )

– WEA: USS Dwight D Eisenhower sent to Red Sea in light of recent attacks ( Politico )

– WEA: Newly formed ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian‘ ( US/UK ) to protect Red Sea Shipping ( Military Watch )

– ASO: India sends warships to Yemen’s coast amid Red Sea tensions ( Hindustan Times )

Context: US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain ( losers of Ukraine )

+Seychelles ( Indian naval base ) and Bahrain ( US CENTCOM naval base )

BANDERIA FRONT

SLAVALAND NEWS

– 404: ‘People Snatchers’: Ukraine‘s Recruiters Use Harsh Tactics to Fill Ranks ( NYT )

– 404: Wiretap found in office of Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny ( Ukrainska Pravda )

– 404: A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine’s soldiers as war with Russia grinds on – discontent grows ( AP )

– 404: Ukraine Ex-PM Timoshenko called on lenders to write off debts to Kiev ( TASS )

– 404: Western officials warn Ukraine is ‘certain to fail’ against Russia if US doesn’t provide more aid ( CNN )

– 404: Recruitment will not replenish AFU – Everyone is rooting 4 Ukraine, but everyone’s running ( Odessa Journal )

– 404: Ukrainian soldiers storming eastern bank of Dnipro fear their mission is hopeless ( Kyiv Independent )

– 404: Elensky to give a big press conference – will be on Tuesday 19 Dec ( Ukr. Pravda )

– 404: Volodymyr Elensky‘s bitter week of disappointment – failure to secure long-term US EU aid ( FT )

Context: We have a plan for 2024 – Zel said – but it’s a secret!

US MANAGEMENT

– USC: US Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs James O’Brien arrives in Kiev ( Ukrinform )

– USC: America’s Ukraine problem: When your friends threaten you, they aren’t your friends ( Modern Diplomacy )

– USC: Ukrainian marines on ‘Suicide’ mission in crossing the Dnipro River ( NYT )

– USC: Ukraine‘s economic recovery depends on extra allied aid, warns IMF chief ( FT )

– USC: Western officials warn Ukraine is ‘certain to fail’ if US doesn’t provide more aid ( CNN )

LOCAL CHUMPS

– EUK: Ukraine and its backers need a credible path to victory – Gideon Rachman ( FT )

– EUK: The EU empire is failing to protect its borders. We will all pay the price – Robert Tombs ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Ukraine‘s army is struggling to find good recruits – Russia has ‘casualties‘ but manpower ( Economist )

– EUK: UK, Ukraine planning to sign 10-year naval ‘Security Pact’ for Black Sea ( Telegraph > Ukrinform, RT )

– EUK: We have ‘five to eight years’ – NATO must prepare for war with Russia – Pistorious ( Bild )

– EUK: Putin could attack Baltics and Moldova next, says Belgian army chief ( Politico )

– EUK: Germany considers bringing back military service ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Germany: 95 percent unused weapons – can Kiev still win the war? ( Welt )

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I DON’T KNOW EUROPE ANYMORE

SANCTIONS MANIA

– EUK: Austria backs EU Russia sanctions after Ukraine removes Raiffeisen from blacklist ( Reuters )

– EUK: EU adopts 12th package of sanctions against Russia targeting diamonds ( Reuters )

– EUK: Germany‘s customs seizes Christmas gifts from Russia ( MSN )

– EUK: Russian citizens’ right to vote in Estonia a threat to security ( ERR )

PUNISH DISSENT

– EUK: Orbán’s walkout was planned all along, Macron says ( Politico )

– EUK: Meloni convinced Orbán: get out of the room ’in common strategy’ – last week: Scholz ( Libero Quotidiano )

– EUK: EU Leaders seek ‘workarounds’ after Orbán blocks Ukraine aid ( Politico )

– EUK: EU strives to make Orbán realize ‘full costs’ of isolation after Ukraine veto ( FT )

– EUK: EU vows to fund Ukraine despite Hungary veto – in January ( FT )

– EUK: EPP announces search for legal ways to stop Hungary‘s voting rights ( X )

– EUK: EU considers stopping Hungary‘s voting rights using Article 7 ( FT )

– EUK: Brussels launches legal action against Elon Musk‘s X over illegal content, disinformation ( Euronews )

– EUK: Serbia‘s ruling ‘populists’ claim sweeping election victory with Aleksandar Vucic ( Euronews )

– EUK: Serbia misuses public resources, used voter intimidation and vote buying ( German FO )

Context : EU/US funded “Serbia against Violence” group were intimidating mostly Roma voters ( videos )

EU ECONOMY

– EUK: EU countries bin €4B worth of COVID vaccines – 1.5b doses going into landfills ( Politico )

– EUK: German Chamber of Commerce and Industry – RIHK – President: Electricity prices could rise by 20% ( Welt )

– EUK: Germany: Aborting economic relations with China would be manageable – more painful for China ( Spiegel )

– EUK: Over 3,000 German farmers protest fuel prices in Berlin ( video )

– EUK: Germany plans partial reform of its ‘debt brake’ – Fin Min Lindner ( Politico )

– EUK: UK: Energy bills could rise by £16 to cover customers’ debts ( BBC )

– EUK: EU Bankruptcies soar as high rates and end of Covid aid hit businesses hard ( FT )

– EUK: Hungary to veto Bulgaria‘s Schengen bid unless it cancels Russian gas transit tax ( Kiev Independent )

– EUK: Bulgaria waives Russian gas transit tax in hopes of furthering Schengen talks ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Pope Francis allows priests to bless same-sex relationships ( NYT )

– EUK: Poland: Spies, Venerials and the Ukraine issue – Russian spies, HIV and common criminals ( MyslPolska )

– EUK: Suddenly everyone takes an anti-migration course ( Welt+ )

– EUK: David Cameron calls on HK authorities end prosecution and release Jimmy Lai ( official X )

( EUK: Poland and Hungary blame EUC as Pfizer sues over vaccine deliveries – early december )

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THE EAST

RUSSIA

– RUC: Western companies that left Russia lost more than $103 billion ( NYT )

– RUC: EU losses from Russia sanctions reach around $1.5 trillion ( TASS )

– RUC: How Putin turned a Western Boycott into a Bonanza ( NYT )

– RUC: No Russia at Davos – loss for WEF, not for Moscow – ambassador ( RT )

– RUC: China-Russia trade ties will never submit to US influence ( GT Op-Ed )

– RUC: Russia calls on BRICS to ditch dollar – FinMin Siluanov with Chinese cp. Lan Foan ( RT )

– RUC: Putin to run as independent candidate – only been party nominee once ( RT )

– RUC: Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin arrived in Beijing to meet Xi, Li Qiang ( RU MoD )

– RUC: Russian gymnasts vow never to compete internationally without flag, anthem, Irina Viner ( TASS )

– RUC: Unveiling Europe‘s Oversight: The Unseen Tide of Russian LNG ( Ukraine World )

Context : Russian LNG exports to Europe highest ever in Nov 2023 : 1.75m tons, 2.4bcm

– RUC: Putin announces response to Finland joining NATO : Leningrad military district ( RT )

Context : Operated 1918-1990 ( start of demilitarization ), fully disbanded in 2010.

ASIA

– ASO: Nippon Steel to acquire Pittsburgh-based US Steel for $14.1bn ( Guardian )

– ASO: South Korea suffers 1st trade deficit with China in 3 decades – chips ( Chosun )

– ASO: Japan‘s Kishida disliked by nearly 4 in 5 people – poll ( SCMP )

– ASO: Is the India-US honeymoon coming to an end? – Kanthan ( GT )

– ASO: Pakistan Chief of Army meets Blinken, Nuland to discuss def-coop, reg security in Washington ( readout )

– ASO: UK DefSec Shapps concerned re Japan‘s stalled discussions exporting defense equipment ( Japan News )

– ASO: Japan denounces Daily Mail report tying dead fish to Fukushima plant ( Asahi Shimbun )

– ASO: Radioactivity detected in Fukushima worker’s nose ( Japan Times )

– ASO: Nissan to partner with Tsinghua university, export China-developed EVs to global markets ( Nikkei )

THE AMERICAS

THE HEGEMON

– USC: USSPACECOM commander declares full operational capability ( Space Com official )

– USC: BRICS-led dedollarization should alarm the US – aggressive against the greenback ( Insider )

– USC: Pfizer Completes $43 billion Acquisition of Seagen, now world’s largest oncological firm ( Eu Pharm News )

– USC: US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar, pandemic aid lapses ( AP )

– USC: ‘The American dream is to leave America‘ – TikTok reveals life abroad ( CNN )

– USC: Mark Zuckerberg building top-secret doomsday bunker in Hawaii ( ZeroHedge )

– USC: New York City needs China‘s economy to bounce back ( Business Insider )

– USC: Apple to Halt US Sales of Smartwatches After Patent Loss to Masimo ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Biden quietly shelves trade pact with UK before 2024 elections ( Politico )

THE BIDEMON

– USC: Poll finds wide disapproval of President Biden on Gaza 33%A vs 57%D ( NYT )

– USC: Biden supporters push back on potential 2024 fallout from Israel : ‘He did what he thought was right’ ( ABC )

– USC: The mystery of the missing binder: How raw Russian intelligence disappeared under Trump ( CNN )

– USC: Why Biden’s campaign keeps linking Trump to Hitler ( Politico )

– USC: One year of Trump’s praise for authoritarians ( Politico )

LATIN AMERICA

– LAT: US concern over Mexico attracting Chinese EV factories ( FT )

– LAT: US allegedly concerned over Mexico luring China‘s EV firms ( Baha news )

– LAT: Javier Milei’s government announces plan to crack down on Argentina protests ( El País )

Context : registry for all protesters, security can detain at will, operate public transport, confiscate weapons ( such as sticks ),

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APPENDIX: SHIPPERS  ( I don’t know why I’m doing this )

Avoid Red sea:

– Maersk ( SWE ),

– Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC ( US/Canada ),

– Hapag-Lloyd ( GER )

– Compagnie Maritime d’Affrètement / Compagnie Générale Maritime CMA-CGM ( France ),

– British Petroleum BP ( UK )

– Euronav ( Belgium )

Avoid Israel trade:

– Evergreen ( Taiwan/China ),

– Orient Overseas Container Line OOCL ( Hong Kong/China )

– COSCO ( China )

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APPENDIX: SHIPS ( Ben, stop! )

– MSC Clara container, Flag=Panama, Owner=MSC, Destination=Abu Dhabi ( hit Monday )

– SWAN ATLANTIC tanker, Flag=Cayman Islands, Owner=ICT Norway, Destination=Madagascar ( hit Monday )

– MSC Palatium 3 container, Flag=Liberia, Owner=MSC, Destination=Jeddah ( hit Thursday )

– MSC Alanya container, Flag=Liberia, Operator=Seaspan Canada, Destination=Jeddah ( hit Thursday )

– Al Jasrah, Flag=Liberia,  Owner=Hapag-Lloyd Germany, Destination=Singapore ( hit Thursday )

– Maersk Gibraltar, Flag=HongKong, Owner=Maersk Denmark, Destination=Jeddah ( hit/not hit last Wednesday )

– STRINDA tanker, Flag=Norway, Owner=HansaTankers Norway, Destination=Venezia ( hit last Tuesday )

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APPENDIX: QUOTES

“I was a naive man 20 years ago, thinking the West would have realized Russia no longer posed an ideological threat like the USSR, so he underestimated the West’s capacity to continue trying to destroy Russia at all costs.”

–

“Russia cannot, like some countries, give up its sovereignty in exchange for a sausage and become someone’s satellite. We must remember and never forget, and teach our children – Russia will either be a sovereign, self-sufficient power, or it will not exist at all.”

–

 “Russia had no problems with Finland until it announced its intention to join NATO. Now they will have problems. I hereby order the recreation of the Leningrad Military District on Finland’s borders.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, interview 17 Dec

“It is absurd to entertain the notion that Russia is in any way a match for NATO. If we stick together, and stick with it, Russia will lose and Ukraine will prevail”

Chief of British Defence Staff, Anthony Radakin, RUSI lecture.

“Ukraine is not ready for EU membership. Luckily we will have many opportunities to correct the decision made yesterday.”

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, Social media ( X, FB )

“If Europe wants to achieve energy transition, it needs its own lithium deposits. The largest ones are in Donetsk and Lugansk. If Russia wins, we lose Lithium”

German MP, Roderich Kiesewetter, CDU, TV interview

“If the world doesn’t get Hezbollah away from the border, Israel will do it”

Israeli Minister without portfolio Benny Gantz, Guardian

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APPENDIX : Legend

USC = United States + Canada

EUK = Europe + United Kingdom | 404 = Ukraine

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

ASO = Asia + Oceania

AFR = Africa

LAT = Latin America

GLO = Global