Ben Tóth’s latest outline on the world’s zeitgeist is a treasure to behold. Be smart! Print it out for talking points. You will be glad you did. Week 2 November.
Another barn burner by Ben Tóth. I’ve already printed out my copy. Catch him as he co-hosts 8 November’s show,
Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline Show
https://www.youtube.com/@BlowbackExposingImperial-hh8ig
GAZA GENOCIDE
“Our forces have been subjected to 27 attacks in Iraq and Syria since October 17th.” – Pentagon
– Death toll 9,770, 4,008 children ( 1/10 mins ), 2,550 girls & women, 596 Elderly ( Monday UN)
– Gaza: Jabalia refugee camp hit with 6x100kg bombs, 400 dead ( photos, videos, Tuesday )
– Gaza: Jabalia refugee camp struck again a day after the first attack ( Al Jazeera )
– Gaza: Jenin refugee camp ( West Bank ) also bombed ( Cradle, video )
– Gaza: Bombings: Ambulance in front of Al Shifa hospital, Highway where Gazans flee West, West-Gaza
( many more, stopped tracking )
– Gaza: Amnesty confirms use of white phosphorus in Gaza and South Lebanon ( Am Int )
– Israel: begins “limited” ground operations “in line with US recommendations” ( Oct 29, TO Israel )
– US Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Transits Suez Canal and Enters Red Sea ( Centcom )
– US sends West Virginia, Ohio-class nuclear sub to Arabian Sea ( Monday Centcom )
PUBLIC OPINION WARS
“Gaza has been turned into a graveyard for children” – UNICEF statement
– Protests: everywhere.. Jakarta ( largest ever ) Washington DC ( largest ever ) and Israel, near Netanyahu House.
– UN: NY UNHRC Director Craig Mokhiber resigns over Gaza handling of UN ( Jordan News )
– US: Netanyahu is an albatross around Biden‘s neck ( FT )
– US: Joe Biden is in trouble – Supporting Israel hurting re-election chances ( NYT )
– US: Anti-war protesters interrupt Antony Blinken at US Senate hearing ( Hill )
– US: Warns Israel it doesn’t have long before support erodes ( CNN )
– EU: French senate proposes 2y prison + €75,000 for insulting Israel ( document )
– UK: For a better tomorrow, Palestinians need to forget Historical grievances ( Telegraph )
– UK: Israel is more popular than social-media posts suggest ( Economist )
– UK: You don’t need to share your views on Gaza ( The Times )
– UK: Issues ‘D-Notices’ to suppress reports of SAS operations in Gaza ( Wsws )
– UK-AUS : Boris Johnson and Antony Albanese go on atrocity Safari in Israel ( photos )
– Israel: Netanyahu ‘Mr Security’ image fades as rivals want him out ( Bloomberg )
– Israel: Naftali Bennett goes on political media tour of US ( official X )
DIPLOMACY – THE HEGEMON
“Nuking Gaza is an option, population should go to ireland or deserts” – Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu
– US: Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv, 2.5 hours ahead of Nasrallah speech ( Friday, video )
– US: Pentagon does not support calls for ceasefire – spox. Pat Ryder ( briefing, video )
– US: Blinken then flies to Iraq ( armored vest ) and Türkiye ( empty tarmac ) ( DOS )
– US : House Republican’s Israel-only aid bill opposed by Senate, by Biden ( Reuters )
– US: $14.3 billion Israel aid bill passes the Senate ( WaPo )
– US: Officials outline steps to reduce civilian casualties – ‘use smaller bombs‘ ( NYT )
– US: White House frustrated by Israel’s onslaught but sees few options ( WaPo )
– US: Israel’s neighbors – EGY, JOR, LEB – are in dire financial straits. Buy them off ( Atlantic Council )
– US: says Russia’s Wagner Group plans to send Air Defenses to Hezbollah ( WSJ )
– US: CIA Director William Burns arrives in Tel Aviv ( Monday, Jpost )
– EU: Hamas tunnels were built by Russia – Estonian media ( Eesti )
– Canada : Justin Turideu ( in US ) is not allowed to say ‘ceasefire’ ( video address )
– Israel: Netanyahu rebuffs Blinken‘s request of ‘humanitarian pause’ ( CBS, video )
– Israel: 1,000 Israeli doctors sign open letter demanding IDF bomb hospitals ( Mondoweiss )
– Israel: Quietly pushes for Egypt to admit large numbers of Gazans ( NYT )
– Israel: To write off Egypt‘s debts at World Bank for hosting Gazans ( Middle East Eye )
– Israel: New law would strep individuals of citizenship if they support terrorists ( TO Israel )
– Israel: Sent arms quietly to Azerbaijan to the dismay of Armenians ( 5 Oct, AP )
– Israel: JPMorgan slashes 4Q23 GDP to -11% from previous quarter ( Reuters )
DIPLOMACY – THE WORLD
“The State of Israel has degenerated into a threat to life on the planet.” – Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Statement
– Ambassador recalls: Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Bahrain, Honduras, Turkey, Chad, South Africa,
– UN : China and UAE request closed-door meeting at UNSC ( Monday GT )
– UN : Attack on Jabila an atrocity – Under-Sec-Gen Hum-Affairs Martin Griffiths ( statement )
– UN : US is the most isolated state in the world – Venezuela ( UN )
– UN : Condemning US blockade of Cuba : Israel, US against, Ukraine abstain ( UN )
– UN: Israel is occupying state, no right to self-defense – Russian Ambassador Nabenzya ( UN )
– UN: We lost 88 employees in Gaza since 10-7, highest fatalities in single conflict ever ( UNRWA )
– Hamas: Ready for negotiations on two-state solution if war stops – Haniyeh ( Ahram )
– Hamas: Calls on UN to investigate Gaza hospitals refute Israeli claims ( Al Jazeera )
– Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei calls on Muslim countries to stop supplying Israel with oil, foodstuffs ( official )
– Iran: High ranking ( and huge ) Taliban delegation arrives in Tehran ( photos )
– Iran: FM Abdollahian arrievs in Türkiye, hold discussions with Erdogan ( Cradle )
– Iran : Quds Force leader Ismail Qaani arrives in Lebanon ahead of Nasrallah speech on Friday ( PressTV )
– Lebanon: Hassan Nasrallah gives big speech about war, declares Hezbollah in operations since Oct 8 ( video )
– Algeria: Parliament unanimously authorizes President Tebbourne to go to war with Israel ( video )
– Afghanistan : Islamic Emirate (Taliban) appeals to Muslim countries to impose oil embargo on Israel ( Arab News )
– EU: Ireland‘s Sinn Féin calls for Israel to stop slaughter, be held accountable ( presser )
– China: US ‘coming to the rescue’ usually means things are getting worse ( GT )
– Türkiye recalls envoy to Israel, ‘writes off’ ( breaks contacts with ) Netanyahu ( AFP )
– Saudi Arabia: demands the immediate resignation of Minister who said ‘nuke gaza’ ( document )
– Syria: calls on IAEA to investigate Israeli nuclear programme ( Sputnik )
– Bolivia: Severs all diplomatic ties with Israel, citing crimes against humanity ( Reuters )
– Tunisia: President Kais Saied said that normalizing relations with Israel is treason ( Arab News )
– Yemen: Ansurallah declares state of war against Israel – Spokesman ( video )
COUNTRY 404
“I don’t want to sound rude, but if the West cannot win this war, what war can it win?” – Kuleba, JP with Blinken
“There is no such thing and there will be no such thing” – Elensky, Ursula JP, no negotiations
“Russia will win in Ukraine if Washington stops supporting Kiev” – Lloyd Raytheon Austin
– Ukraine: TIME magazine buries Elensky as Bunker messiah ( TIME )
– Ukraine: Zaluzhny dreams of new tech, like gunpowder when China invented it ( Economist )
– Ukraine: Elensky signs language law on national minorities – except Russian ( Kyiv Ind )
– Ukraine: Elensky invites Trump to Ukraine, needs one year of support, explains war in 24 mins ( NYP )
– EU : Patriotic but inexperienced : Ukraine Volunteer fighters will be crushed ( Handelsblatt )
– EU: Insufficient industrial capacity to blame for delays to Ukraine – Lithuanian President ( Lrt )
– EU: Ursula arrives in Kiev, lonely train station photo, offers €50B over 4 years in ‘investment’ ( official X )
– EU: Europe needs 14 years (!) to supply Ukraine ammunition demands – Norwegian defense ( Defense Express )
– EU: Russian Pranksters trick Meloni into admitting Ukraine fatigue ( Bloomberg )
– EU: Italian PM’s diplomatic adviser resigns after prank call fiasco ( reuters )
– UK: Ukraine has blown its chance to defeat Putin – Richard Kemp ( Telegram )
– US: TIME may be on Elensky’s side but real time isn’t – Sacks ( Responsible Statecraft )
– US: American, European officials broach topic of peace negotiations with Ukraine ( NBC )
– US: Ukraine’s supporters need to ‘rethink their theory of victory’ ( WaPo )
– US: Ukraine should cede territory to Russia, americans increasingly believe ( Gallup > Newsweek )
– US: Zaluzhny‘s gloomy view of Russia war fuels military aid debate ( Politico )
– US: Elensky’s rebuke of Top General signals rift in Ukraine leadership ( NYT )
– Israel: Preparations for Elensky visit Israel next week in advanced phase ( Friday TO ISrael )
– Israel: Elensky visit to Israel imperiled by leak to Channel 12 ( Haaretz )
EVERYTHING ELSE
EU
– EU: Olaf Scholz visits Nigeria ‘counting on natural gas pipelines’ ( Tagesschau )
– EU: Olaf Scholz announces plan to ‘deport on grand scale’ ( Bild )
– EU: Olaf Scholz and Xi Jinping talk via video link – economics, middle east, ukraine ( CN MFA )
– EU: BASF cuts highlight deepening gloom in Ger economy – cuts in chemicals and autos ( Bloomberg )
– EU: Macron Lands in Putin’s backyard ( Kazakh ) seeking new Friends and Uranium ( Bloomberg )
– EU: France warns Africa not to ‘exchange France for Russia‘ – Catherine Colonna ( Le Monde )
– EU: Serb President Vučić dissolves parliament, announces early elections for 17 December ( Euractiv )
– EU: Hungarian PM Orbán arrives in Astana for 10th summit of Turkic states ( AboutHungary )
– EU: Asia‘s share of Russia‘s trade hits 70% – EU used to be 50%, now 16% ( RT )
– EU: London library closed over bedbug outbreak ( Museum admin X )
US
– US: No one seems to like ‘Bidenomics’ – voters, officials, president – Ben: Russia likes Bidenomics! ( NBC )
– US: To take ‘tough measures’ against Russia after oil price ceiling failure ( WSJ )
– US: Is quietly arming Taiwan to the teeth ( BBC )
– US: infant mortality rate rose 3% last year, the largest increase in two decades ( CBS )
– US: Minuteman III test launch fails, had to be detonated minutes into flight ( Air Force )
– US: Dollar’s dominance is shakier than ever ( Foreign Policy )
– US: Crypto King Sam Bankman-Fried faces jail after full fraud conviction ( WSJ )
– US: Lawmakers call on admin to limit China‘s access to RISC-V chip architecture ( Bloomberg )
CHYNA
– China: iSpace lands reusable methane-liquid oxygen powered rocket ( video )
– China: US Consultancy firm Gallup withdraws from China ( FT )
– China: Its economy is a mess – Why aren’t firms going under? ( Economist )
– China: Xinjiang to become pilot Free Trade Zone ( FTZ ) bordering 5 muslim countries ( CGTN )
– China: Shenzhou16 return capsule lands in China’s Inner Mongolia after 5-month space mission ( CGTN )
RUSSIA
– Russia: Is strongest Military in the world ( US News Best Rankings )
– Russia: Completely Russian Ilyushin Il-96-400M takes maiden flight ( RT )
– Russia: Carlsberg CEO: Russia has ‘stolen our business’ – boo-hoo ( Reuters )
– Russia: DPRK: Sent 1 million rounds of Artillery to Russia – NIS ( Bloomberg )
– Russia: Putin will run for President in 2024 ( TASS )
– Russia: Putin‘s defense agreement with Libya – incl. bases – worries US ( Bloomberg )
MISC
– Saudi Arabia: confirmed as sole bidder for 2034 Men’s World Cup ( FIFA Guardian )
– Japan: Japanese workers have the worst wellbeing in the world ( Bloomberg )
– Africa : Rwanda drops visa restrictions for all Africans ( AN )
– Africa : South Africa governing party decides to withdraw from ICC – Ramaphosa ( Presser )