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What’s up in the House?
The House is crumbling. This after they had a fiesta trying to impugn the proposed confidential and intelligence funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. Speaker Martin Romualdez must be smiling from ear to ear, watching his disciples repudiate the proposed CIFs. His ever-loyal sidekick, Reginald Velasco, joined the fray by articulating Romualdez’s statement that the CIF for the OVP and DepEd would be realigned to other government agencies, making it sound like the funds had already been allocated. How can you realign something that does not exist? In short, all the sound bites from the House of Romualdez were only early and divisive politicking. In short, the Unity Ticket is now just a jumbled heap of a wreck. In the case of the ACT Teachers, Bayan and Gabriela party lists, theirs is a dire act of political survival. They have lost their influence on the mass base with the massive surrender of NPA combatants who had returned to the fold of the law. They are mad specifically at VP Inday Sara Duterte for getting rid of the CPP-NPA-NDF in Davao City, which was the first place to be declared insurgent-free. This was to be followed later by the rest of the provinces and cities in the Davao Region. Finally, the rest of Mindanao has been declared free of the CPP-NPA-NDF by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. All these developments happened because of the proper use of confidential and intelligence funds and the information gathered in the process. The commies are mad at the Vice President because it was during her incumbency as mayor that the NPAs finally lost their total grip on Davao City. Furiously mad because they were aware that the city allocated CIF funds to totally cripple and eradicate several decades of communist insurgency in the now progressive and most livable city in the country. I must, however, say here that credit should go to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and the AFP. NTF-ELCAC is the task force organized by the government in 2018, whose job is to respond to and raise awareness of the communist rebellion in the country. The task force operates in tandem with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and local government units. Now, the legal fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF are extremely furious and apprehensive because VP Sara Duterte co-chairs NTF-ELCAC. That spells doom for the armed insurgents in the Philippines. As if the attacks on Sara were not enough to demonize and diminish her popularity, France Castro trivialized the warnings of former President Rodrigo Duterte against the feeble House action in dispensing with the proposed CIF allocations for the OVP and DepEd. With bravado, Castro declared she would file a case against the ex-president, comfortable in the assurance of Speaker Romualdez and House Secretary General Velasco that she would be given security. If the present House leadership believes it can further discredit VP Sara by attempting to diminish the immense and unprecedented fame and popularity of her father, then they are in for some surprises. Digong has been a virtual recluse, but now that he has been dragged into the fray, we can expect exciting fireworks. The post What’s up in the House? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN says peacekeepers’ ‘lives in danger’ in Mali
UN peacekeepers made an early withdrawal from their camp at Tessalit in northern Mali because their "lives were in danger", the United Nations mission said Sunday. Malian troops on Saturday took over the Tessalit camp, the army said on social media, the first handover in the Kidal region where clashes with armed groups have flared recently. The withdrawal of the UN stabilization mission in Mali (MINUSMA) after 13 years has ignited fears that fighting will intensify between troops and armed factions for control of the territory. The pullout was completed "in an extremely tense and degraded security context putting in danger the lives of personnel", according to a MINUSMA statement received Sunday. UN staff had previously been "forced to shelter in bunkers several times because of shooting", the statement said. It gave the example of October 19, when an incoming fire targeted a C130 transport plane on landing at Tessalit. No injuries or serious damage were recorded. Before quitting the base, MINUSMA said it took "the difficult decision to destroy, deactivate or put out of service expensive equipment such as vehicles, munitions, generators, and other items". The last convoy left Tessalit on Saturday by road heading for Gao, the biggest town in northern Mali. Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in 2020, had in June demanded the mission leave despite being in the grip of jihadism and raging crises. The withdrawal of around 11,600 soldiers and 1,500 police officers is due to continue until 31 December and has exacerbated rivalries between armed groups present in the north. The Coordination of Azawad Movements -- an alliance of predominantly Tuareg groups seeking autonomy or independence -- has carried out a series of attacks on army positions. The Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) has also increased attacks against the military. Before Tessalit, MINUSMA had transferred five other camps to the Malian authorities since August. But the evacuation of the camps in the Kidal region, and especially the town of Kidal, a separatist bastion, remains a major challenge. The separatists do not want the camps handed back to the Malian army, saying it would contravene the ceasefire and peace deals struck with Bamako in 2014 and 2015. The post UN says peacekeepers’ ‘lives in danger’ in Mali appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel says killed ‘terror operatives’ in Jenin mosque air strike
Israel said Sunday it killed "terror operatives" from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks, in an air strike on a mosque in the West Bank's Jenin. The strike hit the Al-Ansar mosque, which the Israeli military said "was used by the terrorists as a command center to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution." The Israeli military said those targeted had already carried out "several terror attacks over the last months and were organizing an additional imminent terror attack." It said they were "neutralised", without giving details on the number killed in the strike or their identities. Dozens of people have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops or settlers since October 7, when Hamas militants stormed into Israel and killed at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death, according to Israeli officials. Israel has launched heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation, killing over 4,300 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The post Israel says killed ‘terror operatives’ in Jenin mosque air strike appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 American hostages freed
Gaza’s Hamas rulers freed two Americans among the 200 hostages they kidnapped in the deadly 7 October attacks in Israel. More hostages may be released, the group hinted. According to the Israeli government, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter, Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were returned to Israel late Friday. There was no word on their condition, but US President Joe Biden was “overjoyed” by the news. Biden called the two women after they were released. Hamas also announced it was working with Qatar and Egypt to free its “civilian” hostages, implying that more could be released. An Israeli emissary met the couple at the Gaza border and took them to a military base in central Israel “where their families are waiting to meet them.” The Ranaan family, like many of the captives, had begun a worldwide campaign to pressure Hamas to release them. Hamas said the “al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens for humanitarian reasons” after being approached by Qatar and Egypt. The Islamist rulers of Gaza said they were “working with all mediators to implement the movement’s decision to close the civilian (hostage) file if appropriate security conditions permit.” It provided no specifics about its demands. Israel claims that Hamas militants took 203 people during the bloodiest attacks in Israel’s 75-year history, including Israelis, dual nationals and foreigners. According to the authorities, at least 1,400 individuals were killed, mostly civilians. Relentless bombing Israel has retaliated with a continuous bombing campaign against Gaza, killing at least 4,137 people, mostly civilians. The hostages have become a massive problem in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stating that the government will use “any means available to locate all those missing and bring all those kidnapped home.” The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped transport the freed Americans to Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for more releases “immediately and unconditionally.” “Every single one of them should be released,” said Blinken, adding that a team from the US Embassy would visit the two freed women. Qatar is a major aid donor to Gaza, and two Hamas leaders are based in the Gulf state. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said the country had mediated between Hamas and the United States and that the release followed “many days of continuous communication between all the parties involved.” The Israeli military said earlier Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive even though some dead bodies have been found on incursions into Gaza. The military said more than 20 hostages were minors, while between 10 and 20 were over the age of 60. Saudi factor Biden said Friday he believed Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel two weeks ago aimed to disrupt the warming ties between the country and Saudi Arabia. “One of the reasons they acted like they did... why Hamas moved on Israel... (was) because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis,” Biden told guests at a campaign fundraiser. “The Saudis want to recognize Israel... unite the Middle East,” he said. The momentum toward a landmark US-brokered deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia — the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites — was shattered by the 7 October attack by Hamas militants on Israel. A bombing campaign launched in response by Israel has leveled entire city blocks in Gaza, so far killing 4,137 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Saudi officials announced on 14 October during a visit to Riyadh by US Secretary Blinken that the country had suspended talks with Israel on the normalization of relations. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had spoken of progress with Israel but also insisted on movement on the Palestinian cause. The Gulf kingdom has never recognized Israel and did not join the 2020 Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, which led neighboring Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. With AFP The post 2 American hostages freed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Germany and Israel sign ‘historic’ missile shield deal
Germany on Thursday signed a deal to acquire the Israeli-made Arrow 3 hypersonic missile system that will become a key part of Europe's defence against air attack. The signing of the deal was a "historic day" for both countries, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a press conference alongside his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. Worth around $3.5 billion (3.3 billion euros), the sale is the biggest ever deal for Israel's military industry. The Arrow 3 system would make "German air defense ready for the future", Pistorius said. Germany has led a push to bolster NATO's air defenses in Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, urging allies to buy deterrence systems together. "We can see with the daily Russian attacks on Ukraine how important anti-air defense is," Pistorius said. The signing of the deal was a "moving event for every Jew", looking back at the events of the Holocaust, Gallant said. "Only 80 years since the end of the Second World War yet Israel and Germany join hands today in building a safer future," he said. Sky shield The long-range Arrow 3 system, designed to shoot down missiles above the Earth's atmosphere, is powerful enough to offer protective cover for neighboring European Union states. The system was developed and produced by Israel and the United States and the sale had to be approved by Washington before it could be finalized. The system was first deployed at an Israeli air force base in 2017 and has been used to protect Israel against attacks from Iran and Syria. Arrow 3 is a "mobile system" that can be deployed depending on the threats faced, according to manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries. The money for the deal comes from a landmark 100-billion-euro fund unveiled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to bolster the country's defenses in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than a dozen European countries have so far signed up to Germany's common air defense project, the European Sky Shield Initiative. The Sky Shield project would involve joint procurement for short-, medium- and long-range systems, including the German-made Iris-T, the American Patriot system and Arrow 3. Some of Germany's neighbors have however so far declined to sign up to the pact, including France and Poland. Officials in Paris have argued instead for an air defense system using European equipment. Berlin has said it expects the Arrow 3 system to be delivered in the final quarter of 2025. The post Germany and Israel sign ‘historic’ missile shield deal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden urges ‘national unity’ 22 years after 9/11
President Joe Biden called Monday for Americans to unite despite bitter political differences as the United States marked the 22nd anniversary of Al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks. Bells were rung and the names of nearly 3,000 people were read out in somber ceremonies in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania where the hijacked planes struck. "Let's honor September 11 by renewing our faith in one another," said Biden, speaking at a US military base in Anchorage, Alaska as he traveled back from a trip to India and Vietnam. "We must never lose our sense of national unity, so let that be the common cause of our time." Speaking in front of a huge flag, Biden added that "terrorism, including political and ideological violence, is the opposite of all we stand for as a nation." His speech comes as the United States is increasingly polarized, with tensions likely to increase as Biden, a Democrat, heads into a likely election rematch next year with Republican former president Donald Trump. Trump has been indicted four times since April, including for efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, with the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack by his supporters still fresh in the public's memory. 'Never forget' In New York, Vice President Kamala Harris and current and former mayors joined victims' families at the 9/11 memorial on the site of the World Trade Center twin towers brought down by two aircraft flown by hijackers. The names of the more than 2,600 who died in New York were read out by family members and young relatives not alive at the time of the attack. "I wish I had a chance to really know you. Everyone in the family misses you. We will never forget," said the grandson of firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz, who was killed at age 45 during rescue operations at the World Trade Center. At the Pentagon in Washington, where the attackers plunged a third aircraft into the headquarters of the US military, a sailor rang a ship's bell for each of the 184 killed there. And in western Pennsylvania, where a fourth hijacked plane apparently heading toward Washington was forced to crash, bells were rung for each of the 40 passengers and crew who died. "September 11 made America a nation at war, and hundreds of thousands stepped up to serve our country in uniform," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Pentagon ceremony. "I know that it aches to remember this milestone year after year... The men and women of the Department of Defense will always remember." Across New York City, in Congress and elsewhere, a moment of silence was held to mark the attack, plotted by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who was found and killed nearly a decade later by US Navy Seals in a raid on his hideout in Pakistan. Biden noted in his speech that he himself had given the order for bin Laden's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri to be sent to the "gates of hell" last year in an airstrike in Afghanistan. "The soul of America is the fortitude we found in the fear of that terrible September day," he added. "The terrorists believed they could bring us to our knees, bend our will, break our resolve. But they were wrong, they were dead wrong." The post Biden urges ‘national unity’ 22 years after 9/11 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Iran court orders U.S. to pay 1980 coup victims $330M
A court in Tehran has ordered the United States government to pay $330 million in damages to families of several people killed in a 1980 failed coup d’etat allegedly planned and executed by Washington. Relatives of those killed in the coup filed last year a legal petition with Iran’s International Court demanding damages, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. The petitioners claimed that a year after the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, a group of mostly army officers tried to overthrow the new government. State news agency IRNA said the “insurgents” were led by Saeed Mahdiyoun, a former Iranian air force commander, and had their headquarters in Nojeh, an air base in the western Hamedan province. “Their objective was to seize control of military bases across the country and target strategic centres and residences of the revolution's leaders. However, their efforts were thwarted,” IRNA said. Several people were killed in clashes between the coup plotters and government forces, and scores of others were arrested. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. In 2016, the US Supreme Court ordered that Iranian assets frozen in the country should be paid to victims of attacks Washington has blamed on Tehran, including the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon and a 1996 blast in Saudi Arabia. Tehran, which denies all responsibility for the attacks blamed on it by the United States, says that a series of US court judgments have awarded victims a total of $56 billion in damages. WITH AFP The post Iran court orders U.S. to pay 1980 coup victims $330M appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gray zone heats up (1)
Security experts believe that what is playing out in the West Philippine Sea is the product of a well-laid-out program of China to challenge the United States’ Pacific presence under a gray zone scenario. Last 5 August, a China Coast Guard vessel blasted its water cannon at a Philippine resupply mission to the disputed Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines sent a protest note but China merely reiterated its demand for the removal of the grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre which stands as a small marine base on the shoal. China knows the United States would not act immediately as it does not consider the water cannon incident or China’s gray zone tactics to be armed attacks against the Philippines. As a result, the incidents did not trigger the US defense commitment under the Mutual Defense Treaty. The gray zone tactics intensified after the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, with the US. Washington’s timid reaction to the incident could embolden China to conduct more assertive maritime action. On 6 February, the Chinese coast guard flashed a military-grade laser at a Philippine vessel, causing temporary blindness to its crew. Raymond Powell, a 35-year veteran of the US Air Force who retired in 2021, has proposed measures to counter Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Powell now runs Project Myoushu which is part of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. “What makes the South China Sea a hotbed of gray zone activity is that most of what happens there happens outside the public eye,” Powell said. If China, for example, harasses a Filipino fisherman or points a laser at a Philippine Coast Guard ship, it can reason “That didn’t actually happen, you’re making that up; how do you know it was us?” Powell said the Philippines correctly countered such denials by releasing photos and videos of the incidents. He said China started to evolve its military strategy after the Scarborough Shoal incident in 2012, “where they essentially took the shoal from the Philippines and then started their island-building campaign, where we saw them turn reefs and rocks into islands and military bases and station Navy and Coast Guard militia ships at those places.” China began patrolling around those places in a way that expanded the assertion of their sovereignty. Now that China has these bases, Powell said the Asian giant can project power outward in a way that it is very much more about the water, and who has a presence there. It became a game of who has an actual military or paramilitary force that can push forward into the exclusive economic zones and take possession, either physically “by rafting a whole bunch of malicious ships together or just by patrolling.” Even patrolling is a gray zone activity since the presence of a China Coast Guard ship in Malaysia’s oil and gas activities is an assertion of jurisdiction. It is saying, “We have sovereign rights over your exclusive economic zone because it falls within our nine-dash line.” Its coast guard and the maritime militia have become China’s instruments of power projection. Its maritime militia’s activities are very much a gray zone because they’re very deniable. They can say, “Well, they’re fishing vessels.” But they don’t fish, Powell said. They exist to patrol or simply to lay claim by their sheer presence in an area. (To be continued) The post Gray zone heats up (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ukrainian drone attack damages Russian tanker
KYIV (AFP) — A Russian tanker was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Kerch Strait, briefly halting traffic on the strategic bridge linking Crimea to Russia on Saturday, a day after one of Moscow’s warships was hit in the Black Sea. The number of attacks in the Black Sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries. The Russian tanker SIG was hit around 11:20 p.m. (2020 GMT) Friday south of the Kerch Strait, Russia’s Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport said. The SIG suffered a hole at the waterline in the area of the engine room, “presumably as a result of an attack by a marine drone,” the agency said on Telegram. “The ship is afloat.” An oil boom had been placed around the vessel and preparations were underway to patch the damage, it said. The Marine Traffic vessel-tracking website showed the SIG stationary and attended by tugs just south of the strait. The oil and chemical tanker is under US sanctions for supplying jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria supporting President Bashar al-Assad. Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency said there were no casualties in the attack, citing the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of Novorossiysk. Traffic on the bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula to Russia’s mainland was halted for around three hours and resumed early Saturday, according to the Russian highways information center’s Telegram channel. The latest attack in the Black Sea came a day after Ukraine said it had carried out a seaborne-drone strike on a Russian navy ship at Novorossiysk naval base in southern Russia. In a video of the purported attack on the warship obtained by AFP, a naval drone is seen speeding towards the darkened silhouette of a military vessel before the connection abruptly cuts off. A Ukrainian attack targeting the Olenegrorsky Gornyak landing ship was “successful,” a Ukrainian security source told AFP Friday. “The goal was to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone,” the source added. Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the naval base by the Ukrainian armed forces “with the use of two unmanned sea boats.” Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been targeted since the beginning of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine more than a year ago, but attacks have increased in recent weeks. The port of Novorossiysk also hosts the terminus of a pipeline that carries most Kazakh oil exports through Russia. The fuel artery’s operator Caspian Pipeline Consortium said it was continuing to ship oil to moored tankers at the terminal, Russian state media reported Friday. Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been targeted by Kyiv throughout Moscow’s Ukraine offensive but has seen more intense attacks in recent weeks. Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea in July blew up an ammunition depot and damaged the strategic bridge across the Kerch Strait. The post Ukrainian drone attack damages Russian tanker appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ukraine attack hits Russian warship at Black Sea base
Ukraine carried out a seaborne drone strike on a Russian navy ship at a Black Sea base, a security source told AFP Friday, as Moscow said it had repelled a similar attack over annexed Crimea. The number of attacks in the sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries. In a video of the attack obtained by AFP, a naval drone is seen speeding towards the darkened silhouette of a military vessel before the connection abruptly cuts off. A Ukrainian attack targeting the Olenegrorsky Gornyak landing ship in the Novorossiysk naval base in southern Russia was "successful", a Ukrainian security source told AFP Friday. "The goal was to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone," the source added. Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the base by the Ukrainian armed forces "with the use of two unmanned sea boats". Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been targeted since the beginning of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine more than a year ago, but attacks have increased in recent weeks. "The presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea... will be put to an end," Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on social media following the most recent drone strike. "Ukraine will ensure freedom and security in the Black Sea for world trade." The port of Novorossiysk also hosts the terminus of a pipeline that carries most Kazakh oil exports through Russia. The fuel artery's operator Caspian Pipeline Consortium said it was continuing to ship oil to moored tankers at the terminal, Russian state media reported Friday. Crimea attack The Russian defence ministry meanwhile said it had downed 13 drones over the Crimean peninsula, without recording casualties or damage. Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been targeted by Kyiv throughout Moscow's Ukraine offensive but has seen more intense attacks in recent weeks. Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea in July blew up an ammunition depot and damaged a strategic and symbolic bridge linking Russia's mainland to the peninsula. Earlier this week, Russia's defence ministry said it foiled a Ukrainian drone attack targeting patrol boats in the Black Sea. Three drones were trained on ships navigating in waters 340 kilometres (210 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Also announced Friday was Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to a combat zone in Ukraine to inspect a command post and meet senior military officers. Shoigu got an update on the situation on the front and "thanked commanders and soldiers... for successful offensive operations" in Lyman in eastern Ukraine, the army said, without mentioning when the visit took place. Frontline under microscope Shoigu last visited the front at the end of June after an aborted rebellion by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner fighting along with Moscow's forces in Ukraine. Ukraine began its long-awaited counteroffensive in the same month but has made modest advances in the face of stiff resistance from Russian forces on the front line. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the counteroffensive was difficult, reporting "very violent" fighting in the key areas on the eastern and southern fronts. In late summer and early autumn 2022, Ukraine retook swathes of territory around Kherson and Kharkiv in rapid counteroffensives. But Ukrainian forces are now contending with well-entrenched Russian defensive positions built over several months. In the southern sector, Ukrainian troops were "gradually but persistently moving forward", deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said on Telegram. The post Ukraine attack hits Russian warship at Black Sea base appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russia fends off attack drones
Another wave of bomb drones has been unleashed by Ukraine targeting the Moscow region and two Russian naval ships in the Black Sea, but the Kremlin said Tuesday it foiled the attacks. “Two Ukrainian (unmanned aerial vehicles) were destroyed by air defense systems over the territory of the Odintsovo and Narofominsk districts of Moscow region,” the Russian defense ministry said. “Another drone was suppressed by electronic warfare and, having lost control, crashed on the territory of the Moscow City,” the capital’s main commercial district, the ministry said. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Tuesday on Telegram that one of the drones flew into the same tower in Moscow City that was damaged by debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone on Sunday. Shortly after the drone attack, Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport was briefly closed, TASS state news agency reported. “Vnukovo was temporarily closed for arrivals and departures, the planes are redirected to other airports,” emergency services said, according to TASS, which later reported that it had resumed normal operations. The same airport, to the southwest of Moscow, was briefly closed after Sunday’s attack and earlier this month, a volley of drone attacks disrupted air traffic at Vnukovo. Meanwhile, three drones attacked the “Sergei Kotov” and “Vasily Bykov” patrol boats of the Russian fleet, 340 kilometers southwest of Sevastopol, the base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet on the annexed Crimea peninsula, the defense ministry said in a statement. Ukraine’s drone attacks on Moscow and the Black Sea followed Russia’s missile strikes on a residential building Kryvyi Rig, hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The strikes killed six people and wounded dozens others. WITH AFP The post Russia fends off attack drones appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DeSantis set to enter 2024 race, teeing up bitter face-off with Trump
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday, signaling 18 months of acrimony ahead as he and Donald Trump lock horns in what is expected to be an attritional contest for the Republican nomination. DeSantis was considered a rising Republican star, but has been caught flat-footed by months of relentless attacks from the former president, who has surged into a commanding lead despite being engulfed in a firestorm of criminal investigations. The 44-year-old governor will make his announcement in a livestreamed chat with billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk on the network's audio platform as he bids to co-opt some of the tech mogul's star power to upstage Trump. "I'm endorsing governor DeSantis -- he doesn't hold back and he's trying to make changes," one backer said in a video compilation of messages of support posted on Twitter by the Never Back Down political organization. Musk teased the 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) Twitter Spaces event in remarks to a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, promising it would be live and unscripted, with "real time questions and answers." The announcement will come with a campaign launch video and the start of a three-day retreat in Miami for some of DeSantis's wealthiest donors, who will be briefed on the campaign before the governor hits several early voting states next week. National profile Long viewed as the most viable challenger to twice-impeached Trump, DeSantis is better known than most of the hopefuls in the chasing pack for the Republican nomination -- but still lacks the frontrunner's national profile. The launch format offers him a dual advantage -- giving him precious access to Musk's 140 million followers, many of whom are in Trump's base, and, if he wins the nomination, the attention of a chunk of younger, less conservative voters he will likely need for a shot at the White House. DeSantis has used his platform as Florida's chief executive to burnish his conservative credentials, signing off on some 80 new state laws this spring, many targeting "woke indoctrination" in schools and other public institutions. They include a ban on the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a block on funding for efforts to promote diversity at public universities and one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Never Back Down, which has been acting as the governor's de facto campaign arm, has a ground operation in most of the early nominating states and is making plans to expand. But the launch comes with DeSantis's ratings in decline as a number of policy missteps have prompted disquiet about his readiness to take on Trump. He faces the daunting task of closing an enormous polling gap, with Trump posting leads of close to 40 percentage points, despite being indicted on felony financial charges and being found liable for sexual abuse in a New York civil trial. Jockeying for endorsements Behind the scenes, the Trump and DeSantis camps have been jostling to secure political endorsements from state lawmakers while, at the national level, Florida's congressional delegation has broken heavily for Trump. Musk is a well-known DeSantis admirer, although he was clear that Twitter would remain neutral on the nomination and that his hosting of the campaign launch should not be taken as an endorsement. "I've said publicly that my preference, and I think the preference of most Americans, is... to have someone fairly normal in office," he said, without making any explicit criticism of Trump. The former reality TV star was banned from Twitter after the 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters and has not posted since being reinstated in November. He has been attacking DeSantis almost daily on his record, character and fitness for office, but responded to Wednesday's announcement with relative restraint -- simply posting favorable polling on his own online platform, Truth Social. "Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn't have to interact with people and the media can't ask him any questions," a Trump aide said. The post DeSantis set to enter 2024 race, teeing up bitter face-off with Trump appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CPP’s guerilla fronts weakening, says NSC
National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya on Sunday disclosed that the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines — the New People’s Army — is already weakening. Malaya — who also heads the agency’s Strategic Communications Office — said that at least 75 percent of all NPA guerrilla fronts have been dismantled and only 22 out of the original 89 fronts are still operational. “When we say weakened, they are running out of barangays or a mass base. That’s where they get their strength, from the support of the villagers... The remaining 20 guerrilla fronts, some still have weapons,” Malaya said. He added that of the 22 left, 20 are weakened and the remaining two are the subject of focused military operations and development efforts by NTF-ELCAC agencies. “We are monitoring them to eliminate and arrest them. It doesn’t mean that they can’t attack anymore... Let’s expect that there will still be attacks, but their previous formation, when they could organize 20 up to 40 people, that’s already gone,” Malaya said. “The military was committed to ending things this year. They are very, very hopeful that all the guerilla fronts will be finished. We will weaken them and wipe them out eventually,” he added. Malaya also called on Congress to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s continued trust to the NTF-ELCAC with marching orders to “sustain the whole-of-nation approach to peace and development” to prevent communist terrorists, their front organizations, and other lawless elements from recruiting, regrouping, and regaining power. “P10 million per barangay is just very small amount that are given to the residents who chose on what should be to prioritize (road, classrooms or livelihood),” Malaya said. “He (Marcos) also directed the Task Force and the local government units to continue working together to seize the gains in the regions and ensure that we carry this momentum towards total victory over communist terrorism under his administration,” he added. The post CPP’s guerilla fronts weakening, says NSC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AFP seeks more EDCA sites
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Sunday the establishment of additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites with the United States will provide the country with “360-degree protection” in the future. AFP spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, said the expansion of EDCA sites will further help defend the country’s maritime territory so Filipinos can utilize its abundant resources within its exclusive economic zone. “If we are talking about the further expansion of the EDCA, I think this is possible [if] what we want is to protect because we are an archipelagic country and we have so many islands, we have a long shoreline,” Aguilar said, partly in Filipino, Sunday. “If we are to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity including the protection of maritime resources that should be enjoyed by our people, we need a 360-degree protection capability for the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he added. The Palace and the Department of National Defense earlier announced the establishment of four additional EDCA sites at the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan. These are on top of five existing EDCA sites in the country, including the Bautista Air Base in Palawan; Basa Air Base in Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City; and the Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu. Defense only The DND and AFP said putting up more EDCA facilities primarily aims to boost the country’s defense capabilities and further protect the national interest of the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured that the additional EDCA sites will not be utilized for offensive attacks amid the increasingly aggressive activities of China in the West Philippine Sea. On Saturday, Mr. Marcos said the Philippines and China have agreed to open more channels of communication to ensure that engagements between Chinese and Philippine forces do not escalate. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met this week in Manila with the President, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, and other government officials. Qin’s visit was seen as China’s way of countering the growing influence of the United States in the Philippines, with the two nations holding their biggest Balikatan military exercises this year. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairperson Senator Imee Marcos has questioned the selection of the new EDCA sites as they “seem to be random and no longer purposeful” for the modernization of the AFP. Selection process She also raised concerns that government seems to have given up the country’s territorial claims on the western and eastern Philippine seaboard. In response, Aguilar said the new EDCA locations have gone through a stringent and strategic selection process based on the country’s necessities and the need to improve the defense capabilities of the AFP. “In the selection, primarily we relied on the recommendation based on the AFP modernization roadmap,” he said, noting that the western and eastern seaboards of the country were also considered in locating the new EDCA sites. The DND earlier said EDCA will serve as a collaborative agreement between the Philippines and the US, enabling rotational activities to promote better disaster responses and humanitarian efforts. The post AFP seeks more EDCA sites appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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