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Reflecting on Your Business Setbacks
Challenges are an inevitable part of any endeavor, especially a business one. From unforeseen economic shifts to internal operational hurdles, every business owner will inevitably face obstacles that test their resolve. As we live in a fast-paced world, we sometimes forget about looking back, and what better time to do it than the Holy Week? […].....»»
Earth Hour, 5 Reasons to Participate
On March 23, from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM, everyone in the world is encouraged to turn off their lights and appliances. Dubbed Earth Hour, this global event started in Australia back in 2007 as a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative. It might be easy to wave off Earth Hour as just 60 minutes of.....»»
Musk tours site of Hamas attack with Israeli PM
Tech tycoon Elon Musk visited the site of a Hamas attack in southern Israel Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the two discussed artificial intelligence with defence chiefs, officials said. Musk and Netanyahu held a brief interview on the billionaire's online platform X, formerly Twitter, following their tour of Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim -- communal farms -- in southern Israel attacked by the Palestinian militant group on October 7. "We have to demilitarise Gaza after the destruction of Hamas," Netanyahu said, calling for a campaign to "deradicalise" the Palestinian territory. "Then we also have to rebuild Gaza, and I hope to have our Arab friends help in that context." Netanyahu told Musk he hoped to resume US-mediated normalisation talks with Saudi Arabia after Hamas's defeat and "expand the circle of peace beyond anything imaginable". None of the prime minister's public statements addressed charges of rampant anti-Semitism on Musk's social media outlet. Earlier in the day, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said Israel had reached an understanding in principle on the use of Starlink satellites, operated by Musk's company SpaceX, in Israel and the Gaza Strip "with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications". Musk and Netanyahu also "held an extended meeting on the security aspects of artificial intelligence," a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said. "Senior security establishment officials in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber participated in the meeting." The American tycoon was also set to meet with President Isaac Herzog during his visit to Israel. Herzog would address "the need to act to combat rising anti-Semitism online", the office of Israel's figurehead president said Sunday. Musk has come under fire over what critics say is a proliferation of hate speech on X since his takeover of the social media site in October 2022. He has also been accused by the White House of "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism after endorsing a conspiracy theory seen as accusing Jews of trying to weaken white majorities. Herzog's office said the meeting would be joined by "representatives of families of hostages held by Hamas, who will speak about the horrors of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, and of the ongoing pain and uncertainty for those held captive". Israel bombarded the Gaza strip for weeks and launched a ground assault in response to the attacks, before a four-day ceasefire took effect on November 24. In September, Netanyahu urged Musk "to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred" on X. Musk, the world's richest person, said while his platform could not stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is". X Corp is currently suing nonprofit Media Matters on the grounds that it has driven away advertisers by portraying the site as rife with anti-Semitic content. Musk has also threatened to file suit against the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, over its claims that problematic and racist speech has soared on the site since he completed his $44-billion takeover......»»
US says anti-Iran strikes in Syria hit ammunition depots
The United States said Friday it sought to degrade ammunition supplies of Iranian-linked militias with strikes in Syria but insisted it did not want to widen the Middle East conflict. The Pentagon on Thursday announced air strikes on two sites in eastern Syria it said were used by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after a string of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. "The purpose for those two sites that we targeted was to have a significant impact on future IRGC and Iran-backed militia group operations," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday. "It went right at storage facilities and ammo depots that we know will be used to support the work of these militia groups, particularly in Syria." "The main goal was to disrupt that ability and also to deter -- to prevent -- future attacks," he said. The White House earlier said that President Joe Biden had relayed a direct warning to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against militias' strikes on US troops in Syria and Iraq, where US forces are stationed as part of efforts against the Islamic State group, which also has clashed with Shiite Iran. There have been at least 14 attacks on US and allied forces in Iraq and six in Syria since October 17, a period in which 21 American military personnel suffered minor injuries and one contractor died from a cardiac incident, according to the Pentagon. The US strikes on Thursday were the first on Iranian interests since March, breaking a stretch of calm after the Biden administration opened quiet diplomacy with the US arch-enemy that led to a prisoner swap and conversations on Iran's disputed nuclear program. The October 7 assault by Hamas and Israel's retaliatory strikes have inflamed the region. Iran's clerical leaders back Hamas, while the United States is the foremost ally of Israel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a statement Thursday, said that the strikes were "narrowly tailored" to protect US personnel. "They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict," Austin said. The Pentagon said Friday evening that its current assessment is the strikes did not cause casualties. 'Finger on the trigger' In new pressure, the United States -- which already considers Hamas and the Revolutionary Guards to be terrorist organizations -- said it was imposing sanctions on a Hamas official based in Iran and members of the IRGC. The Biden administration has vowed to target the finances of Hamas, which holds hundreds of millions of dollars in global assets, according to US Treasury Department estimates. Iran also has a close relationship with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia and political movement that has repeatedly fired at Israel but has so far stopped short of opening a full second front. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Friday that he has spoken with Lebanese and Palestinian militants and they "have their finger on the trigger" if Israel expands its ground operation into Gaza. Speaking to US National Public Radio from the United Nations, Amir-Abdollahian said the militants' actions would be "much more powerful and deeper than what you’ve witnessed." "Therefore I believe that if this situation continues and women and children and civilians are still killed in Gaza and the West Bank, anything will be possible," he said. Amir-Abdollahian insisted, however, that militants would decide their own actions, saying, "We don't really want this conflict to spread out." Addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said that the Palestinians "as a nation under occupation" have the "legitimate right to resist the occupation using all available methods, including armed struggle." Hamas militants on October 7 stormed out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including children, the elderly and revelers at a music festival, and took more than 220 hostages in the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Israel has struck back with a relentless bombing campaign which Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 7,326 people, mostly civilians, among them 3,038 children. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meeting Friday with Amir-Abdollahian, urged Iran to work toward the "unconditional and immediate release of hostages held in Gaza." The post US says anti-Iran strikes in Syria hit ammunition depots appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Beware of terror’s seduction
Major league media spanning the world have fallen prey to the sweet seduction of the ratings game to forget about disseminating the truth, which is what journalism is all about. Terrorist forces have proven themselves adept in the art of deception that it lured the eminent The New York Times, or NYT, with its lies. Among the most prominent American newspapers, NYT, to its credit, issued an unprecedented “editorial note” admitting that a story it ran on the bombing of a Gaza hospital “left readers with an ‘incorrect impression,’” saying that its staff should have been more careful in the initial presentation of information and in explaining what could be verified. NYT had prominently and repeatedly featured Hamas’s claim that an Israeli airstrike caused last week’s blast at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. The note it issued on Monday acknowledged that its coverage should have been more journalistically rigorous. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza immediately blamed the 17 October explosion on an Israeli airstrike amid the war that erupted when the Palestinian terror group killed over 1,400 people in Israel in its assault on 7 October. Hamas provided no evidence to back up its false claim or for its claim that hundreds had been killed, but international media, including the NYT, swallowed the claims hook, line, and sinker. Shortly after, Israel produced evidence showing the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launch from Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, an assessment endorsed by the United States, which has said it has data that supports this. NYT admitted that its initial reports “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified. The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.” In Britain, the BBC and other media outlets were also criticized by government lawmakers for rushing to report the Hamas version of events. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons last week, “We don’t treat what comes out of the Kremlin as the gospel truth; we should not do the same with Hamas.” In the war coverage, it must be clear there is no moral equivalence between Israel, a legitimate democracy, and Hamas, a terrorist organization that employs lies as a weapon. Media reports often frame both sides as being equivalent and engaged in a tit-for-tat. Hamas is the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, but major democracies consider it a terror organization. Israel, as a free and democratic sovereign state, does everything to minimize civilian casualties, while Hamas is an Iran-backed terrorist group that openly seeks the destruction of Israel and actively hunts Israeli civilians to murder or abduct. It deliberately fires projectiles into civilian areas to kill as many Israelis as possible. Israel’s military specifically targets Hamas infrastructure, such as rocket launchers and production facilities, terrorist headquarters, terror tunnels, weapons warehouses, and senior terror leaders. Israel employs a tactic known as “roof knocking,” which warns civilians to evacuate a building through text messages and phone calls before targeting it for destruction. In contrast, the American Jewish Committee said Hamas deliberately puts Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. Hamas fires rockets and stores weapons in civilian areas, including around homes, schools, offices, mosques and hospitals. Hamas staged a large-scale incursion into southern Israel on 7 October during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, where over 600 Israelis were murdered. Often, the conflict with Hamas and other terrorist groups, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is framed as a dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Any coverage of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad must mention that both terror groups are armed, trained, and financially supported by Iran. While its origins are with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas has been funded, armed, and trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps since the early 1990s. Equating Israel with Hamas would provide legitimacy to the use of terror tactics, which most nations have vowed never to consider as a subject of negotiation. The post Beware of terror’s seduction appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel aims to crush Hamas but vague on Gaza’s post-war future
Israel is determined to crush Hamas but has said little about what would replace its rule in Gaza after the war, with observers expecting Washington will play a decisive role. "One thing is clear: the Gaza Strip will not be ruled by Hamas once this war is over," Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy told AFP as Israel's military steps up strikes in preparation for a widely-expected ground offensive. In the wake of the 7 October attacks, when militants from the Palestinian Islamist movement began a deadly cross-border assault that has killed 1,400 people, Israel has laid out just one objective: "Destroying Hamas". Since then, it has embarked on a brutal retaliatory bombing campaign, which Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says has now killed more than 5,000 people. Despite four previous wars with Gaza's Hamas rulers -- in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021 -- Israel has never before threatened to completely overthrow the movement which rules this tiny territory of 2.4 million people. The territory, which has been languishing under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since Hamas took control in 2007, has since October 7 suffered a spiraling humanitarian crisis, largely deprived of water, food and other basic supplies and more than a million people displaced. Although Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, ending an occupation that began in 1967, the international community considers it responsible for the tiny territory's primary needs -- energy, food and medicine. 'Handing over the keys' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a "do or die" war. And his government is hoping to end all responsibility for Gaza as part of a "new regional reality" it hopes will emerge after the war. After the current air strikes and action inside Gaza, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said a "third phase" would involve "the removal of Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel". But no minister talks about Gaza's future government. And nobody has raised the possibility of a new Israeli occupation of the enclave, the military and financial burden of such an eventuality being too high to bear. "We are discussing possibilities with our partners," said government spokesman Levy. Israel wants to "hand over the keys" to a third party, a foreign ministry source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. According to Eitan Shamir, a former Israeli government security specialist and now director of Jerusalem's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Washington will have a decisive say in Gaza's future. The US, he said, already has an "overview" role in Israel's action against Hamas. "The favourite option of the Americans and Israelis would be an international structure with Palestinian Authority, with Saudi funding, for example," Shamir told AFP, saying it could include US and European administrative help. Regional players silent US President Joe Biden has given Netanyahu strong support, visiting Israel last week and warning other regional players not to get involved while lining up almost $15 billion in military aid, even if he has warned Israel against letting its "rage" go too far. But Washington has also not been clear about how it sees Gaza's future. "Something needs to be found that ensures Hamas can't do this again but also doesn't reverse to an Israeli governance of Gaza which they do not want," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS television on Sunday. "There are different ideas out there about what could follow and all of that needs to be worked, even as Israel is dealing with the current threat." The Israeli foreign ministry source raised Egypt as a possible saviour, although Cairo has resisted decades of pressure to take a greater role. Egypt and Jordan are deeply concerned about the war unleashing a new flood of Palestinian refugees. No Arab or Muslim state has so far proposed an intervention. One option supported by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid is for Mahmud Abbas' Palestinian Authority to take control. The authority already cooperates with Israel in running parts of the occupied West Bank, but the ageing Palestinian leader has faced growing criticism since the war began. But a report by the International Crisis Group said there was "little hope that the already deeply unpopular PA could return to Gaza on the back of an Israeli invasion and not be treated as an enemy. "Moreover, it is not clear that Israel would want the West Bank and Gaza under a single authority," the think tank said. The post Israel aims to crush Hamas but vague on Gaza’s post-war future appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief urges ceasefire to end Gaza’s ‘godawful nightmare’
UN chief Antonio Guterres pleaded Saturday for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in the war between Israel and Hamas militants that has devastated much of Gaza, demanding "action to end this godawful nightmare". Addressing a Cairo summit that ultimately proved fruitless, according to Arab diplomats, Guterres said the Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people was living through "a humanitarian catastrophe" with thousands dead and more than a million displaced. The latest bloodshed began on October 7 when Hamas militants killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, and took more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign, killing more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, and cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food. According to Arab diplomats who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the meeting in Cairo failed to reach an agreement, with Western representatives seeking "a clear condemnation placing responsibility for the escalation on Hamas", which Arab leaders refused. The Western officials also wanted to call for the release of those held by Hamas. Egypt's presidency instead released a statement -- drafted with the approval of Arab attendees, the diplomats said -- saying the war had laid bare "a defect in the values of the international community". World leaders have long "sought to manage the conflict, and not end it permanently, by proposing temporary solutions and palliatives that do not live up to even the lowest aspirations of a suffering people", the statement read. In response, Israel bemoaned the lack of a condemnation of what it called "Islamic terror" that endangered the region and entire world. "It is unfortunate that even when faced with those horrific atrocities, there were some who had difficulty condemning terrorism or acknowledging the danger," a foreign ministry statement said. "Israel will do what it has to do and expects the international community to recognise the righteous battle." 'Global silence' In the opening session, Guterres had said "the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long" after "56 years of occupation with no end in sight" but stressed that "nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorised Israeli civilians". He then stressed that "those abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people". In the meeting which also included the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Italy, Jordan's King Abdullah II called for "an immediate end to the war on Gaza" and condemned what he labelled "global silence" on Palestinian death and suffering. "The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear: Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones. Our lives matter less than other lives," he charged. "The application of international law is optional. And human rights have boundaries -- they stop at borders, they stop at races, and they stop at religions." The summit came on the day a first convoy of aid trucks rumbled into southern Gaza, which Guterres said needed to be rapidly scaled up, with "much more" help sent through. The UN has said that about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet worsening needs in Gaza. The Palestinians need "a continuous delivery of aid to Gaza at the scale that is needed", the UN chief told the Cairo "Summit for Peace". 'We will not leave' Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi argued that the "only solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "justice" and said that "Palestinians must realise their legitimate rights to self-determination" and have "an independent state on their land". Abbas stressed his demand for a two-state solution and an "end to Israel's occupation" and rejected what he has warned could be a "second Nakba" -- a reference to the more than 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their lands during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. "We will not leave," he repeated three times at the end of his speech. Cairo and Amman have repeatedly rejected calls for large numbers of refugees to enter Egypt from Gaza, warning that the "forced displacement" would lead to the "eradication of the Palestinian cause". Egypt and Jordan were the first Arab states to normalise relations with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 respectively, and have since been key mediators between Israeli and Palestinian officials. Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan urged for the current conflict to become, "rather than a regional conflagration, a breeding ground for a just and lasting peace". He also condemned "unconditional military aid to Israel which only serves to maintain the occupation", while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan condemned the failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire after a US veto. The post UN chief urges ceasefire to end Gaza’s ‘godawful nightmare’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
First relief convoy enters Gaza devastated by ‘nightmare’ war
The first aid trucks arrived in war-torn Gaza from Egypt on Saturday, bringing urgent humanitarian relief to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave suffering what the UN chief labelled a "godawful nightmare". Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Islamist militant group carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7. Hamas militants killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death, and took more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel has retaliated with a relentless bombing campaign on Gaza that has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. An Israeli siege has cut food, water, electricity and fuel supplies to the densely populated and long-blockaded territory of 2.4 million people, sparking fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. AFP journalists on Saturday saw 20 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza. The crossing -- the only one into Gaza not controlled by Israel -- closed again after the trucks passed. The lorries had been waiting for days on the Egyptian side after Israel agreed to a request from its main ally the United States to allow aid to enter. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Friday that the relief supplies were "the difference between life and death" for many Gazans, more than one million of whom have been displaced. "Much more" aid needs to be sent, he told a peace summit in Egypt on Saturday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the aid and urged "all parties" to keep the Rafah crossing open. But a Hamas spokesman said "even dozens" of such convoys could not meet Gaza's needs, especially as no fuel was being allowed in to help distribute the supplies to those in need. 'Reeling in pain' Tens of thousands of Israeli troops have deployed to the Gaza border ahead of an expected ground offensive that officials have pledged will begin "soon". As international tensions soar, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was hosting a peace summit in Cairo on Saturday attended by regional and some Western leaders. "The time has come for action to end this godawful nightmare," Guterres told the summit, calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire". The region "is reeling in pain and one step from the precipice", he said. Guterres said "the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long" after "56 years of occupation with no end in sight". But he stressed that "nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorised Israeli civilians". "Those abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he added. Egypt, historically a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, has urged "restraint" and the relaunch of the long-frozen peace process. But diplomatic efforts to end the violence have made little headway, without the participation of Israel and its enemy Iran, a supporter of Hamas and other armed groups. 'Sliver of hope' A full-blown Israeli ground offensive carries many risks, including to the hostages Hamas took and whose fate is shrouded in uncertainty. So the release of two Americans among the hostages -- mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan -- offered a rare "sliver of hope", said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. US President Joe Biden thanked Qatar, which hosts Hamas's political bureau, for its mediation in securing the release. He said he was working "around the clock" to win the return of other Americans being held. Natalie Raanan's half-brother Ben told the BBC he felt an "overwhelming sense of joy" at the release after "the most horrible of ordeals". Hamas said Egypt and Qatar had negotiated the release and that it was "working with all mediators to implement the movement's decision to close the civilian (hostage) file if appropriate security conditions allow". Traumatised families with loved ones missing in Gaza demanded more action. "We ask humanity to interfere and bring back all those young boys, young girls, mothers, babies," Assaf Shem Tov, whose nephew was abducted from a music festival where Hamas killed hundreds, said Friday. Devastation Almost half of Gaza's residents have been displaced, and at least 30 percent of all housing in the territory has been destroyed or damaged, the United Nations says. Thousands have taken refuge in a camp set up in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. Fadwa al-Najjar said she and her seven children walked for 10 hours to reach the camp, at some points breaking into a run as missiles struck around them. "We saw bodies and limbs torn off and we just started praying, thinking we were going to die," she told AFP. In Al-Zahra in central Gaza, Rami Abu Wazna was struggling to take in the destruction wreaked by Israeli missile strikes. "Even in my worst nightmares, I never thought this could be possible," he said. Israel's operation will take not "a day, nor a week, nor a month" and will result in "the end of Israel's responsibilities in the Gaza Strip", Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Friday. Regional tensions flare In Gaza, retired general Omar Ashour said the destruction was "part of a clear plan for people to have no place left to live". "This will cause a second Nakba," he added, referring to the 760,000 Palestinians who were expelled from or fled their homes when Israel was created in 1948. The United States has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon's Hezbollah, both Hamas allies, amid fears of a wider conflagration. Fire across Israel's border with Lebanon continued overnight, with one Israeli soldier killed, Israeli public radio said. The military said it hit Hezbollah targets after rocket and missile fire. Violence has also flared in the West Bank, where 84 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The post First relief convoy enters Gaza devastated by ‘nightmare’ war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Drones attack U.S. forces in Iraq
Drones attacked American and coalition forces in Iraq in the last 24 hours but all unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down with troops suffering only minor injuries. The United States Central Command reported the attacks Wednesday but did not say the source of the drones. Pro-Iranian forces have threatened to attack American troops in Iraq because of Washington’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas. “In western Iraq, US forces engaged two drones, destroying one and damaging the second, resulting in minor injuries to coalition forces. Separately in northern Iraq, US forces engaged and destroyed a drone, resulting in no injuries or damage,” CENTCOM said. There are around 2,500 American soldiers and a thousand troops from other members of the anti-Islamic State coalition in Iraq in a training and advisory role, after the official end of their combat mission in December 2021. A US defense official said earlier on Wednesday that two “one-way drones” had been downed when they attempted to attack American and coalition forces in Iraq, while Kurdish counter-terrorism forces said in a statement that an explosives-laden drone had crashed Wednesday in the Arbil governorate in the country’s north. The drone shootdowns came a day after a strike on a hospital in Gaza left hundreds dead, with Hamas blaming Israel, which in turn said another Palestinian armed group was responsible. Hamas launched a surprise assault inside Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking hostages back into Gaza. After Israel declared war and began retaliatory strikes, nearly 3,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians as well, according to Hamas health authorities. Pro-Iranian factions in Iraq have accused Israel and the US of carrying out a “massacre” in Gaza, with one of them — the powerful Ketaeb Hezbollah group — demanding that American forces leave Iraq or face attack. The post Drones attack U.S. forces in Iraq appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
War in Israel a new front in US election campaign
The surprise Hamas assault on Israel has opened up a new front in the US election campaign as Republicans accuse President Joe Biden of being soft in his defense of Israel and in his handling of Iran. "I think this is a great opportunity for our candidates to contrast where Republicans have stood with Israel -- time and time again –- and Joe Biden has been weak," Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, said Saturday on Fox News. Americans will choose a new president and control of Congress in November 2024, with Biden, 80, seeking another term in a race that looks likely to pit him against former president Donald Trump as the Republican candidate. Trump used the stunning Hamas attack by land, sea, and air at dawn Saturday to target Biden. “The Israeli attack was made because we are perceived as weak and ineffective and with a very weak leader,” he said. Other Republican presidential hopefuls, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, also dismissed Biden as weak. US stands with Israel A stern-faced Biden gave a short speech from the White House on Saturday to stress firm US support for Israel. "Today, the people of Israel are under attack, orchestrated by a terrorist organization, Hamas," Biden said. "In this moment of tragedy, I want to say to them and to the world and to terrorists everywhere that the United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back." Republicans zeroed in on a recent decision by the Biden administration to release $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue frozen in South Korea in exchange for the release of five Americans who were being held prisoner in Iran. Tehran is the main sponsor of Hamas, which the United States and other countries classify as a terrorist group. Senator Rick Scott, for instance, said that in unfreezing that money -- it was transferred to a bank account in Qatar for use only for humanitarian purposes -- the United States had in effect financed the Hamas attack, which won praise from Iran. That charge angered the White House, which called it a "shameful lie" and insisted that the money was tightly controlled in how it could be used and none of it had been spent. A senior administration official speaking to reporters on Saturday accused Republicans of spreading disinformation. Help from congress The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed it was too early to say whether Iran was directly involved in Hamas' large-scale attack, but that there was "no doubt Hamas is funded, equipped and armed by Iran and others." Aside from the 2024 election, the Republican attacks pose political problems for Biden. The United States already provides billions of dollars a year for Israel but Biden will need Congress if he wants to send more now that Israel has declared itself at war with Hamas. That means Biden has to work with the Republicans, who are blocking passage of a yearly budget. Making matters worse, the House of Representatives is in chaos and limbo now because of the ouster of its speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last week in a revolt by a handful of far right Republicans. The White House would also like the Senate to approve Jack Lew soon to be the new American ambassador to Israel. His nomination was announced more than a month ago. This will require goodwill from the Republican minority in that chamber. The post War in Israel a new front in US election campaign appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Basilan Abu Sayyaf members surrender
ISABELA CITY, Basilan Province — At least 14 individuals believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group surrendered to authorities recently and turned over their high-powered firearms after their leader succumbed to bullet wounds a few days after they had an encounter with state troops. The intensified counter-terrorism campaign of the 101st Infantry (Three-Red Arrows) Brigade also pressured the former ASG gunmen in Basilan to surrender on Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Alvin V. Luzon, 101st Infantry (Three-Red Arrows) Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, immediately presented the ASG surrenderers to Join Task Force Orion commander Maj. Gen Ignatius Patrimonio in Barangay Tabiawan, Isabela City. Luzon identified the former ASGs as Absar Amana alias Tarih; Najer Lakibul alias Black; Etang Awal alias Kaet; Masber Hoben alias Halifa; Tot Awal alias Abu Daud; Omar Salim Awal alias Omar; alas Matsur: a certain Oto; Datu; Iroy; Hariya Palinta; Puran Abuhon; Aksan M. Mijan and Ngut. They turned over at least 13 high-powered firearms which include five M16 Rifles: one M653, two M14 Rifles: one M1 Garand Rifle; two M79 Grenade launchers and two 9MM Intratec TEC-KG9 Assault Rifles. The former ASGs were previously operating under Basilan-based ASG-sub leader Pasil Bayali, who reportedly succumbed to death due to wounds he incurred during an earlier skirmish with the government troops in undisclosed forested areas in the province. Bayali’s death apparently had thrown the other ASG members in disarray, forcing them to bend over to the folds of the law. “The voluntary surrender of the 14 former ASGs demonstrated the success of collaboration among Local Government Units, the military and the communities,” said Luzon. As part of the reintegration program, the 14 former ASGs will go through the standard deradicalization process before being reintegrated into society and enjoying the peaceful ways of life. The 14 former ASGs are eligible for cash assistance to help them transition back to normal life as part of the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government. The post Basilan Abu Sayyaf members surrender appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former gang leader charged with rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder
A quarter of a century after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a gang feud in Las Vegas, a man was charged Friday with his murder, a killing that came to symbolize the violence of gangsta rap as it surged into the mainstream. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 60, had long acknowledged his involvement in the slaying, boasting he was the "on-site commander" in the effort to kill Shakur and Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight in revenge for his nephew's assault. Davis' early morning arrest Friday followed 27 years of investigations by police, who had been frustrated by an apparent lack of useable evidence, and came two months after they raided his home in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas. "The presumption is great that he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur, and he will be found guilty of murder with the use of a deadly weapon," prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo told a court in Nevada. Shakur, the best-selling hip-hop artist behind hits such as "California Love," "Changes," and "Dear Mama," was already a huge star in the world of rap when he was gunned down in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996. He was just 25. He was signed to Death Row Records, an outfit associated at the time with Los Angeles street gang Mob Piru, which had a long-standing beef with the Southside Compton Crips. DiGiacomo said on the day of the murder, Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Knight were in Las Vegas to watch Mike Tyson fight. In a hotel elevator lobby, they set upon Crips member Orlando Anderson, the nephew of Davis. "(Davis) formulated a plan to exact revenge upon Mr Knight and Mr Shakur" for this beating, DiGiacomo said. "He acquired a 40-caliber Glock firearm from a drug associate. "He gets into (a light-colored) Cadillac and he provides the 40-caliber Glock firearm to one of the two individuals in the back seat," and the group set off to find their intended victims. The two rap moguls were spotted in a car on a Las Vegas street. "They pulled up next to the vehicle and the rear passenger fired a number of rounds out of that vehicle striking Mr Knight in the head and Mr Shakur several times," DiGiacomo said. Shakur died in a hospital several days later. Knight survived. The prosecutor said what happened that night had been largely understood by investigators for many years, but they had not had sufficient admissible evidence to advance the case. That began to change when Davis, reportedly the only person in the car that night still alive, published an autobiography and spoke about the crime for a TV show. "He admitted to being the front right passenger in the light Cadillac and that he was the on-ground, on-site commander of the effort to kill Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight." A court hearing in the case was scheduled for next week. Rivalry Shakur had a brief but stratospheric career, rapidly rising from backup dancer to self-styled gangsta rapper and one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, selling 75 million records. He became a key figure in a vaunted rivalry, egged on by promoters, between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop. Though born in New York, Shakur moved as a teenager with his family to California, becoming one of the most identifiable figures in the West Coast scene. Shakur's murder was followed six months later by the shooting death in Los Angeles of his rival, East Coast rapper Christopher "The Notorious BIG" Wallace. The investigation's slow progress led to accusations police were not trying hard enough to find the killers of young Black men. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill on Friday said that was not true. "I know there have been many people who did not believe that the murder of Tupac Shakur was important to this police department," he told reporters. "I'm here to tell you, that was simply not the case. It was not the case back then. And it is not the case today. "Our goal... has always been to hold those accountable and responsible for Tupac's violent murder accountable." The post Former gang leader charged with rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senate titan Dianne Feinstein dead at 90
Veteran Senator Dianne Feinstein, a titan of US political history who notched a string of legislative achievements during a trailblazing three-decade career in the Senate, has died at 90 years old, US media said Friday. Feinstein, the Senate's oldest member, was celebrated as a pioneer for women in politics and a hugely effective legislator. During a career that began in local California government, she grew to be a tough check on administrations from both parties. She had already announced her retirement this February as her health worsened and following a number of missteps that threatened her legacy. The Californian, who was widowed last year, became San Francisco's first female mayor after the fatal shooting in 1978 of Harvey Milk, the country's only openly gay politician, and mayor George Moscone by a disgruntled former colleague. Other dramatic moments including surviving an attempted bombing of her home. She was also near the scene of an infamous double murder in San Francisco. Her death is not expected to shift the tight balance of power in the Senate, with the Democratic governor of California appointing her temporary replacement. Summing up her dedication to public service, Feinstein once said that "even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems." "That's what I've done for the last 30 years, and that's what I plan to do for the next two years." Democrats in her home state led tributes as news of the senator's death cast a pall over proceedings in Congress, with staff placing flowers on Feinstein's desk in the Senate chamber, according to Fox News. "She was a trailblazer and dedicated her life to public service," said David Valadao, a member of California's delegation in the House of Representatives. An icon in Senate politics who took the lead on hundreds of bills, Feinstein rose to the chairmanship of the powerful intelligence committee -- another first for a woman. Her achievements include writing the 1994 assault rifle ban and producing a 6,700-page report on the CIA torture program during the US "war on terror." But it was in her home state of California where she first made her mark. As the first female Board of Supervisors president in San Francisco, Feinstein led the city through the tumult that followed the fatal shootings in 1978 of Milk. She replaced the mayor and served for 10 years as a no-nonsense pragmatist, willing to work across the aisle, balancing nine budgets in a row and being declared the nation's "Most Effective Mayor" by local government bible City and State Magazine. Latterly, the pandemic and her husband's declining health curtailed her public appearances outside of Congress and she faced growing misgivings about her declining cognitive abilities, raised by figures in her own party. The youngest member of Congress, 26-year-old Maxwell Frost, described Feinstein as a "champion for Gun Violence Prevention that broke barriers at all levels of government." "We wouldn't have had an assault weapons ban if it wasn't for Senator Feinstein and due to her tireless work, we will win it back," he posted on social media. The post Senate titan Dianne Feinstein dead at 90 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Azerbaijan claims victory after Karabakh separatists surrender
Azerbaijan said Wednesday it had regained control over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in decades after separatist Armenian fighters agreed to lay down their arms in the face of a military operation. The stunning collapse of separatist resistance represents a major victory for Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in his quest to bring the Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh back under Baku's control. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the mountainous region since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The years of conflict have been marked by abuses on both sides, and there are concerns of a fresh refugee crisis as Karabakh's Armenian population fears being forced out. A day after Azerbaijan launched its military operation in the region, Baku and the ethnic Armenian authorities in Karabakh announced a ceasefire deal had been brokered by Russian peacekeepers to stop the fighting. "Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty as a result of successful anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh," Aliyev said in a televised address. Aliyev claimed that most of the Armenian forces in the region had been destroyed and said the withdrawal of separatist troops had already begun. The attack left "at least 200 killed and more than 400 wounded," Nagorno-Karabakh separatist official Gegham Stepanyan said. Late on Wednesday, Armenia's defence ministry said that Azerbaijan had fired on its positions along the border between the arch-foes. Such skirmishes are frequent along the border. Truce deal Under the truce deal, the separatists said they had agreed to fully dismantle their army and that Armenia would pull out any forces it had in the region. Azerbaijan's defence ministry said that "all weapons and heavy armaments are to be surrendered" under the supervision of Russia's 2,000-strong peacekeeping force on the ground. Both sides said talks on reintegrating the breakaway territory into the rest of Azerbaijan would be held on Thursday in the city of Yevlakh. President Vladimir Putin said Russian peacekeepers would mediate the talks. Moscow has said several of members of its force in Karabakh were killed when the car they were travelling in came under fire. Latest violence Baku's operation marked the latest violence over the rugged territory. After the Soviet Union fell apart, Armenian separatists seized the region -- internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan -- in the early 1990s. The war left 30,000 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. In a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured swathes of territory in and around the region. President Aliyev on Wednesday praised the "political competence" of his country's historic rival. "The developments that took place yesterday and today will have a positive impact on the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia," he said. Azerbaijani presidential foreign policy advisor Hikmet Hajiyev promised safe passage for the separatists who surrendered and said Baku sought the "peaceful reintegration" of Karabakh Armenians. A separatist official said over 10,000 people have been evacuated from Armenian communities in Nagorno-Karabakh and "forced to find a shelter" elsewhere in the territory. Russia's President Putin said he hoped for a "peaceful" resolution, adding that Moscow has been in contact with all sides in the conflict. Putin held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Wednesday evening, but the Kremlin insisted the crisis was "Azerbaijan's internal affair". 'War is over' Jubilant residents in Azerbaijan's capital expressed hope the deal heralded a definitive victory and the end of the decades-long conflict. "I was very happy with this news. Finally, the war is over," 67-year-old pensioner Rana Ahmedova told AFP. In Armenia, there was fury at a second defeat in Karabakh in three years. Clashes broke out in Armenia's capital Yerevan, where thousands of protesters waving the separatist region's flag blocked a main road and riot police guarded official buildings. Demonstrators threw bottles and stones at police as they slammed the government's handling of the crisis, while officers used stun grenades and made arrests. The loss in Karabakh ratchets up domestic pressure on Pashinyan, who has faced stinging criticism at home for making concessions to Azerbaijan since the 2020 defeat. "We are losing our homeland, we are losing our people," said Sargis Hayats, a 20-year-old musician. Pashinyan "must leave, time has shown that he cannot rule. No one gave him a mandate for Karabakh to capitulate," he said. The Armenian leader has insisted that his government had not been involved in drafting the latest ceasefire deal. Again denying his country's army was in the enclave, he said he expected Russia's peacekeepers to ensure Karabakh's ethnic-Armenian residents could stay "in their homes, on their land". International pressure Azerbaijan's assault came as Moscow, the traditional power broker in the region is bogged down and distracted by its war on Ukraine, which has left it isolated in the West. But its peacekeepers there appeared to have played a key role in helping to negotiate the ceasefire and will now oversee its implementation. Turkey, a historic ally of predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan that views mostly Christian Armenia as one of its main regional rivals, had called the operation "justified". The EU and United States have been mediating talks between Baku and Yerevan in recent months aimed at securing a lasting peace deal between the two foes. The White House said Wednesday it was concerned by the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. "We're obviously still watching very, very closely the worsening humanitarian situation inside Nagorno-Karabakh," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He added the situation "has been exacerbated by the hostilities perpetrated by Azerbaijan" in Karabakh, where there are now fears of a refugee crisis. The post Azerbaijan claims victory after Karabakh separatists surrender appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Many barangay posts in BARMM uncontested
As the October barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections draw near, we wrote about the apprehension of the authorities over the conduct of the elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. The Philippine National Police has statistics on several towns flagged as possible election “hot spots.” In fact, they have asked for a postponement of the elections in those areas, but the Commission denied this despite documented incidents of election-related violence. But just as there are conflict areas, there are an almost equal number of barangays where peace is expected to prevail. There will be no contest in those barangays as the candidates will run unopposed. While this could taint the democratic process as the right of citizens to choose their leaders will be somehow restricted, it is still a welcome development. How does this work? This needs the intervention of the patriarchs of families, the elders of the village, and city or town executives. What is essential is to resort to what local tribes (among Maranaws) call “musawarah,” which is Arabic in origin, and “musyawarah,” which is the Malay word for consultation or dialogue. Contending candidates engage in dialogue to find common ground for agreement to avoid a socially, financially, and politically costly election. In the case of a barangay where one family numerically dominates, they choose by rotation from among the siblings or family leaders who will be the Punong Barangay. The other positions, like barangay councilor or kagawad, secretary, treasurer, etc., are equally divided among themselves. And there is an equitable distribution of the salaries and whatever largesse the barangay will receive from the government and local projects. In contested barangays, the town mayor offers a hefty sum to the party running against his chosen candidate and promises a monthly allowance and other assistance. By buying off the different bets, the mayor gets the full support of the barangay, with the Punong Barangay acting as his political operator when the mayoral elections come around. Experience tells us that the mayor, supported by most Punong Barangays, gets to perpetuate his dynastic family in power. This is also one way of settling “rido” or family feuds that are a side issue during elections. Through back channeling and having a common candidate and slate, families that for years were involved in “rido” are open to reconciliation. A Rappler report said about “149 barangays in Maguindanao del Sur’s 24 towns have unopposed bets for barangay chair.” And local leaders are still negotiating to have more unopposed candidates in more barangays. According to local leaders, this scheme is resorted to not necessarily for partisan considerations but for peace because election rivalries are the common cause of “rido.” This is happening also in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur and many other BARMM barangays. Through the efforts of provincial governors and city and town mayors, several barangays have candidates running unchallenged in October. Democrats might find this an assault on the freedom of the people to choose their leaders. They will claim that politicians manipulate the people to surrender their fundamental rights as citizens to perpetuate themselves in power and protect their dynasties. But what good is democracy if we have conflict and instability in the villages and one cannot sleep at night for fear of violence? In weighing which interest is preponderant — peace or freedom — pacifists will go for the former. This column supports the work of local leaders in BARMM to have familiar candidates for the coming elections so that lives will not be unnecessarily sacrificed on the altar of politics. amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post Many barangay posts in BARMM uncontested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chinese carmakers confront European industry at Munich show
Chinese manufacturers will be out in force at next week's IAA auto show, one of the industry's biggest, revving their new electric models on the turf of German carmakers, which have been lagging in the e-mobility race. Elon Musk's Tesla, usually a hold-out from such events, will also make an appearance at the show in Munich, joining the jostle to steal the spotlight from Europe's biggest brands. The industry fair, which opens Tuesday with a speech from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, comes with clouds gathering for the automotive sector in Europe and in particular, Germany. While suffocating supply chain problems have eased from the pandemic years, European auto giants are struggling to cope with increased energy costs in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Although sales in the European Union have steadily improved over the last 12 months, they remain around 20 percent below their pre-coronavirus levels as inflation and higher interest rates dampen appetite for new vehicles. At the same time, European manufacturers are facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese carmakers which are touting their vehicles at far lower prices. Local upstarts have captured an increasingly large part of the prized Chinese market and are threatening to dominate the growing trade in electric vehicles. Chinese groups were starting "their assault on Europe with the IAA", said industry analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer from the Center Automotive Research in Germany. "The IAA 2023 maps out a new automobile world in Europe. Competition will be tougher. After the Chinese battery factories, their automobile makers are coming," he said, calling it a "turning point" for the industry. In all, 41 percent of exhibitors at the industry fair have their headquarters in China, including brands such as BYD and Leapmotor which will hope to steal the spotlight from German giants Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Contrary to the Asian onslaught, participation from other European makers is muted. Opel will be US-European conglomerate Stellantis's lone ambassador in Munich, while Renault is showcasing only its eponymous marque at the show. In contrast, Musk's Tesla was slowly falling in line with traditional manufacturers as "the brand that doesn't do marketing begins to do exactly that" with its first appearance at the IAA, said independent analyst Matthias Schmidt. - Petrol protest - Over the week, around 700,000 visitors are expected to attend the show, split between exhibition halls and the city center. The move away from combustion engines to electric vehicles -- and the bigger climate question -- will take center stage inside and outside the exhibition halls. As carmakers roll out their latest offerings, climate groups have vowed protests at the fair, including "civil disobedience" aimed at disrupting the IAA. The last edition of the show in 2021 was already troubled by small-scale protests. This time around, some 1,500 people are expected at a camp in a suburban Munich park promoting a "revolution in mobility". Car manufacturers were "destroying the lives of countless people worldwide with their growth imperative", one of the climate groups said ahead of the fair. Automotive groups have not helped their case recently by recording massive profits on the back of strong inflation. Manufacturers -- particularly those at the high end of the market -- have been able to benefit from rising prices to boost their margins. A growing climate consciousness movement is increasingly pitting environmental activists against carmakers. Mindful of society's changing views on automobiles, the IAA upped sticks from Frankfurt to Munich in 2021 and restyled itself as a festival for all forms of "mobility" -- bringing bikes and scooters into the fold. As well as cleaning up its image, the move was an attempt to reinvigorate traditional motor shows. The marquee events have struggled to attract manufacturers, who are doubtful that they create enough publicity to be worth the bother. In 2022, the Paris Motor Show saw visitor numbers dwindle, as it was cut in length from two weeks to one. Many big European names, such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Ferrari were absent from the French fair, to which Chinese carmakers like BYD by contrast turned up. The post Chinese carmakers confront European industry at Munich show appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lasers, drones vs China
If you may remember, the Afghans beat back the superior Russians from Afghanistan by secretly obtaining portable heat-seeking missiles from the US, which eventually changed the tide of the war. The missile device was so portable, it was smuggled by donkey to remote mountains. It was so user-friendly, even ordinary foot soldiers could use it. The missiles destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes, and eventually forced the Russians to withdraw from Afghanistan. We can use the same tactic in the West Philippine Sea against the superior Chinese warships and warplanes. If Marcos Jr. can somehow obtain lasers and drones, not necessarily from the US, not necessarily in secret, for the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese warships may think twice before bullying us with their lasers and water cannons. China is currently harassing Filipinos in the Ayungin Shoal, triggering diplomatic protests. This aggression is virtually an act of war. Responding with legal arguments for China to respect the UNCLOS and The Hague court decision is useless. Social media exposés and campaigns cannot solve the problem. We have to face them in our territory in the West Philippine Sea. If we do not, we might as well concede. If we do, are we ready for the consequences of escalation? Has China secretly discovered oil in Ayungin, so it has to keep Filipinos away? Another strategy is to get a US firm as a partner in oil exploration in the Ayungin Shoal, escorted by US warships. Let’s get to the oil before China does. If there are competing explorations and oil rigs, this will prevent war. There is, however, a risk of a full-blown US-China naval confrontation. If we up the ante, China may back out or resort to an unpredictable escalation. Can we handle the escalation? Are we ready to go into this new stage of war, not just physically in terms of possible collateral damage, but also spiritually in terms of the political will to fight? This remains to be seen. Asymmetrics as a Game Changer “Asymmetric” weapons refer to small cheap high-tech weapons that can take out big expensive weaponry. For example, hypersonic missiles taking out aircraft carriers, killer drones neutralizing an entire naval base, super lasers shooting down satellites in outer space, silent electro-magnetic pulse bombs jamming an enemy assault. This is called the equalizer, the use of asymmetrics against far superior foes. Lasers and drones on our coast guard ships are asymmetrics. Asymmetrics are becoming popular. Ukraine is using them against Russia, and Iran against the US in the Strait of Hormuz. China is now able to jam the electronic signals of US warplanes in the WPS. These new sophisticated asymmetrics have evolved as powerful game changers in modern warfare in favor of the underdog. The Vietnam Model Vietnamese water cannons faced Chinese water cannons, forcing the latter to abandon an oil rig close to the Vietnamese shore. We can learn from the Vietnamese, adopt its warrior ways, its spiritual orientation of defiance and belligerence. But we must be cautious as there may be consequences we are not yet ready for. Vietnam has been fighting China for centuries. China respects Vietnam’s audacity while it looks down on Filipinos whose leaders can easily be offered quid-pro-quo deals (Duterte) and whose tin can coast guard vessels they can easily step on. Can we change China’s attitude through a new type of belligerence using asymmetrics? Vietnam is the epitome of David defying Goliath, two Goliaths, in fact, the French and the Americans. France surrendered its colonization of Vietnam in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The Americans gave up Vietnam after a 20-year guerrilla war, an embarrassing blow for a superpower falling to its knees to a “lowly” Third World country. Centuries before that, at its birth, Vietnam defied and splintered from the powerful Chinese Empire. Viet means south, nam means kingdom — the kingdom south of the empire. From where does Vietnam draw its strength? Vietnam is monolithic, one solid land mass. The Philippines is granulated, a scattered archipelago. It took more than 10,000 years of slow migration (the so-called Austronesian Dispersal) for Malays in improvised boats (balanghays) to populate the Philippines. While this was happening, Vietnam was growing in strength by defying the Chinese empire. Vietnam is a single neutral gray, the Philippines a rainbow. Vietnam has one central language, the Philippines 125-odd dialects. Except for the Hmong, Vietnam has few ancient ethnic groups. We have 85 ethnic groupings. Anthropologically, Vietnam and the Philippines are complete opposites. The Vietnamese is a natural warrior, the Filipino a natural adventurer. The French and the Americans failed to colonize Vietnam. The Filipino was conquered by the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese. The Vietnamese was defiant, the Filipino subservient. The Filipino absorbed colonization and foreign culture, the Vietnamese kept its culture intact. The post Lasers, drones vs China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Drug gangs war shakes French city
A bloody rivalry between two drug gangs in Marseille on France’s Mediterranean coast has claimed the lives of dozens of people this year, targeted in brazen attacks sometimes carried out by teenagers, according to police. The two gangs, “Yoda” and “DZ Mafia” are vying for control of the drug market in the notorious northern neighborhoods of France’s second biggest city. Since the start of the year, 36 people have died in the gang war, according to an Agence France-Presse count, already five more than in all of 2022. “It’s a bloodbath,” the city’s state prosecutor Dominique Laurens said back in April. Since then, there has been another surge in murders, with 12 people killed over the past month alone. The latest target was a 30-year-old man gunned down with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in northern Marseille Tuesday night. “This is nothing less than a new round in the fight between Yoda and DZ Mafia,” police prefect Frederique Camilleri told reporters Wednesday. The two gangs were behind 80 percent of the total of 68 gang-related killings or attempted killings in Marseille this year, she added. Some of the victims and perpetrators are teenagers, like a 17-year-old beaten to death by 30 attackers in the Marseille high-rise project known as La Paternelle. The killing was live-streamed on Snapchat, a messaging app. Camilleri said while murders linked to the drug trade used to be about the expansion of territory — such as the takeover of a dealing spot — they were now mostly about striking terror in their rivals. WITH AFP The post Drug gangs war shakes French city appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tabuena rallies with 68, ties for 19th in Indonesia Open
Miguel Tabuena mounted one big assault at the back that however sputtered a bit in the last 10 holes, but his 68 netted him a joint 19th finish in the Indonesia Open ruled by Thai Nitithorn Thippong in thrilling fashion in South Jakarta Sunday......»»
US actor Kevin Spacey cleared of UK sex offenses
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey was acquitted on Wednesday in Britain of nine alleged sex offenses, in the latest court victory for the Oscar winner who was one of the first huge stars felled by the #MeToo movement. The star of "American Beauty" and drama series "House of Cards", who turned 64 on Wednesday, was acquitted by majority verdicts in London following a trial lasting several weeks. "I'm enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision and I am humbled by the outcome today," he told reporters outside court. It comes less than a year after a New York court dismissed a $40 million sexual misconduct civil lawsuit brought against him, and follows charges of indecent and sexual assault being dropped in Massachusetts in 2019. Spacey's once-stellar career has been halted by the various allegations of sexual offences, which first emerged in 2017 and which he has always denied. The actor told Germany's Die Zeit that he expected to mount a comeback following the acquittal. "I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London," he told the German national weekly. "The second that happens, they're ready to move forward." Madness The jury in London, which began considering the charges on Monday, cleared Spacey of all nine counts that he faced, after more than 12 hours of deliberations. The alleged offences included seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. They were said to have occurred in 2005 and 2008 in London, and in 2013 in Gloucestershire, western England. Jurors heard evidence from the four alleged victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons. British rock star Elton John was also among those to testify, as a witness for Spacey. The prosecution claimed he was a "sexual bully" who revelled in making others feel uncomfortable, including by aggressively grabbing men's crotches. One of victims, a former aspiring actor, said he woke up to find Spacey performing a sex act on him, suggesting the actor "drugged" him. He was accused of grabbing another man's crotch "so hard" while driving to a fundraising event, that the car nearly came off the road. Spacey, whose full name is Kevin Spacey Fowler, called the claims "madness" and a "stab in the back". He had been on unconditional bail since first being charged in Britain last year, and on Wednesday walked out of the south London court a free man. The Crown Prosecution Service said it had charged him following "a thorough investigation" by London's Metropolitan Police. "It is the role of the jury to consider the charges and we respect the decision of the court," a spokesman added. Career success Spacey enjoyed a highly successful decades-spanning career with roles such as a middle-aged father lusting after a teen in "American Beauty," a serial killer in "Se7en" and the villain in "Superman Returns". He worked as artistic director at London's Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015. In 2017 he was one of the first stars caught up in the global #MeToo movement as he was accused of sexual assault by multiple young men. He was dropped from the final season of the political drama "House of Cards" and other projects. A New York court dismissed a $40 million civil sexual misconduct lawsuit brought against him in October last year. The complainant, actor Anthony Rapp, alleged the star had assaulted him when he was 14. He brought the civil case after being told it was too late to bring a criminal charge but failed to convince the jury in that case. In 2019, charges of indecent and sexual assault were dropped against Spacey in Massachusetts. The post US actor Kevin Spacey cleared of UK sex offenses appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»