Dagelijkse discussie - 21 mei 2024

Biden heeft "dodelijk geweld" goedgekeurd in de Trump-operatie

The Biden administration authorized the use of deadly force during the FBI’s raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August 2022 as part of its investigation into classified records, court documents revealed.

An "Operations Order" produced in discovery as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records revealed that the "FBI believed its objective for the Mar-a-Lago raid was to seize ‘classified information, NDI, and US Government records,’" as descr…  Lees verderibed in the search warrant.

Rusland lanceert tactische kernoefeningen

Troops of Russia’s Southern Military District launched the first stage of recently announced tactical nuclear drills on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has confirmed.

It will involve delivery of nuclear weapons to troops from storage sites, arming tactical nuclear missiles, and preparation of missile launches, Moscow announced in a statement on Telegram.

The troops will be using the Iskander-M systems, which can fire 9M723-1 ballistic missiles or 9M728 cruise missiles, both of which can carry tactical nuclear warheads with yields between five and 50 kilotons.

The Southern Military…  Lees verder District forces will also practice covert deployment operations using the systems, as part of launch-preparation drills, according to the military.

Frankrijk steunt ICC arrestatiebevelen voor Israël en Hamas-leiders

France, Belgium and Slovenia released statements supporting the world’s top war crimes court and its chief prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, after Israel and the United States both harshly condemned the effort.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza.

Rusland neemt Niger over na het vertrek van de VS

Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces.

The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces…  Lees verder were not mingling with U.S. troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger's capital.

Israëlische regering treedt streng op tegen buitenlandse journalisten

Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.

The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organizations. The AP denounced the move.

Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in the southern town of Sderot on Tuesday afternoon and seized the equipment. They handed the AP a piece of paper, signed by Communications Minister Shl…  Lees verderomo Karhi, alleging it was violating the country’s foreign broadcaster law.

Polen zegt dat Europa zijn eigen Iron Dome moet bouwen, net als Israël.

Europe must create its own Israel-style Iron Dome to protect against missile and drone attack, the prime minister of Poland has said.

Donald Tusk said he and other leaders would propose plans for the £3.4 billion European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) to the European Council and Commission “in a few days”.

“Creating an iron dome against missiles and drones is necessary,” he said on Monday.

“The recent attack on Israel showed how essential such systems are. There is no reason for Europe not to have its missile defence shield.”

The Iron Dome was crucial in…  Lees verder ensuring Iran’s April attack on Israel, with about 300 missiles and drones, caused no significant damage.

Amerikaanse sancties speelden een rol bij de dood van de Iraanse president

Much of Iran’s air fleet is in dire need of spare parts that Tehran has been unable to buy due to US and other western sanctions.

“Iran’s air fleet is a metaphor for the regime as a whole,” said Ali Ansari, founder of the Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews. “It’s old, should not be able to keep flying, and yet does — until it doesn’t.”

Tehran has yet to give an official explanation for the crash.

The likely culprit is an aging fleet, battered by decades of wear and tear. Blocked for years by western sanctions on Ira…  Lees verdernian institutions and export controls on aerospace goods, Iran has been thwarted in efforts to renew its fleet or access spare parts and maintenance contracts.

De VS dringen er bij Europa op aan zich aan te sluiten bij het harde optreden tegen de Chinese export

Janet Yellen has urged the EU to join US efforts in clamping down on Beijing’s green-tech exports, warning that a glut of cheap Chinese goods could threaten the survival of factories across the world.

The US and its western allies must react “in a united way” to China’s growing manufacturing power or put their own industries at risk, the Treasury secretary said in a speech in Germany on Tuesday.

Yellen also rejected criticism from European allies that the US’s own sweeping tax breaks and subsidies for green manufacturing represented “a turn towards American protectionism”.

She said the tariff increases, which included a quadrupling of the rate on Chinese electric vehicles to 100 per cent, were “strategic and targeted steps”.

Is de VS verliefd op India?

After India pursued a deal with Iran on the Chabahar Port, the US responded by threatening New Delhi with sanctions. This has exposed a possible growing geopolitical incompatibility between the two countries over the past several years, even as the US championed India as a critical strategic partner against China.

Since 2017, the US has promoted India as one of its key partners. It even went so far as to rename an entire region “the Indo-Pacific,” eyeing New Delhi as a key strategic asset in its longstanding strategic ambition of containing the rise of China.

India has an independen…  Lees verdert and strictly self-interested foreign policy. It might be willing to lean towards the US for its own gain, but that does not make it an “ally.”

Estland roept op tot het opsplitsen van Rusland

The conflict between Moscow and Kiev should end with the defeat and breakup of the Russian Federation, Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said.

Kallas offered the suggestion on Saturday during a debate which was part of the 17th Lennart Meri Conference in the country’s capital, Tallinn, dedicated to supporting Ukraine.

"Russia’s defeat is not a bad thing because then you know there could really be a change in society,” the prime minister argued.

She argued that the Russian Federation is comprised of “many different nations” and suggested that they…  Lees verder should become separate states after the end of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

FBI schrapt Russisch spionageprogramma

The F.B.I. cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation, current and former U.S. officials said.

The review was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by a small group within the bureau’s counterintelligence division, with the findings then passed along to field offices, which handle informants.

It led to the severing of sources — some of whom had offered information about Russia-aligned oligarchs, political leaders and other influential figures — at…  Lees verder a moment when the bureau was asking agents to produce more information from and about those same networks. The review was conducted during and after the 2020 election, when concerns about Russian meddling were running high, and at a time when the United States was closely monitoring whether Russia would invade Ukraine.

Amerikaanse politicus zei dat het ICC "gebouwd is voor Afrika en schurken zoals Poetin"

In a CNN Interview, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan says a senior American official told him “this court [the ICC] was built for Africa and thugs like Putin.”