Thursday, June 27, 2024

Tensions between Israel and Lebanon Reaching a Climax


غالانت: إسرائيل قادرة على إعادة لبنان إلى العصر الحجري
وزير الدفاع الإسرائيلي يوآف غالانت حذر خلال زيارته لواشنطن من أن الجيش الإسرائيلي قادر على إعادة لبنان “إلى العصر الحجري” لكننا “لا نريد أن نفعل ذلك


Gallant: Israel is capable of returning Lebanon to the "Stone Age"

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned during a visit to Washington that the IDF [Israeli Defense Force] could return Lebanon "to the Stone Age" but "we don't want to do that."


[Cedar News, Lebanon on June 27]



土耳其总统与黎巴嫩总理通电话 讨论地区

土耳其总统府新闻局当地时间6月26日发表声明称,土总统埃尔多安当天与黎巴嫩看守政府总理米卡提通电话。双方在通话中讨论了以色列对黎巴嫩及对加沙地带的袭击,以及由此带来的地区局势日益紧张等问题。埃尔多安在通话中表示,必须尽快停止以色列对加沙地带的侵略。埃尔多安呼吁国际社会尽快采取措施,停止以色列对地区和全球和平带来的威胁。(央视新闻)

The Turkish president had a telephone conversation
with Lebanese Prime Minister to discuss the region

The Information Bureau of the Turkish Presidential Office issued a statement on June 26 local time, saying that Turkish President Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mikati of the Lebanese caretaker government on the same day. During the call, the two sides discussed Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, as well as the resulting growing tensions in the region. In the call, Erdogan said that the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip must be stopped as soon as possible. Erdogan called on the international community to take measures as soon as possible to stop the threat posed by Israel to regional and global peace. (CCTV News)


[CCTV, China Central TV quoted by SINA on June 27]

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Free Again

Assange is set to be released to Australia, his country of citizenship, after a Tuesday court proceeding is over, according to federal records. Assange agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defense of the United States, according to a letter accompanying charging documents filed in US District Court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific.
[USA Today on June 25, 2024]

Today, I would like to remember how the Wikileaks story began in 2010. Even though external media links and videos are no longer available, some basic information could still be saved !

For the leaked reports on alleged war crimes of US troops in the War on Iraq, take a look at
=> the published list of subjects <= covered by Assange's underground platform Wikileaks.

Furthermore, I would like to mention my Chinese language blogspot posted in October 2010:
=> 伊拉克—杀害平民和拷打俘虏 Iraq – Killing civilians and torturing prisoners <=

Screenshot of my Experimental Blog in Chinese

阿拉伯电视台 Al-Jazeera 与美国电视台 ABC-TV 与西半球的日报 Times, Guardian 密谋的是把 Wikileaks 秘密文件给同时的出版了。文件的内容是美军的杀害681个平民也是伊拉克的公安人员拷打他们的俘虏和美军人的认可拷打。

Al-Jazeera conspired with America's 'ABC-TV' together with 'The Times' and 'Guardian', daily newspapers in the Western Hemisphere, to publish the secret Wikileaks documents at the same time. The contents of the documents are including the killings of 681 civilians by US military, the torture of their captives by Iraqi public security officers, and the approved torture by US military personnel.


[Editor: Direct links from my Chinese site are no longer working because the connected external websites, dating back to 2010, were removed long ago.]

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Chinese-French Astronomical Satellite Launched:
Gamma-Ray Bursts, Dark Energy, Cosmic Evolution



(西昌综合讯)中国和法国联合研制的空间科学卫星成功发射,该卫星将探测经过数十亿光年才到达地球的伽马射线暴,有助人们更好地了解宇宙。这也是中法两国具有里程碑意义的合作。 [阅读全文]

[Xichang Comprehensive News] The successful launch of a space science satellite jointly developed by China and France will detect gamma-ray bursts that take billions of light-years to reach Earth, helping people better understand the universe. This is also a landmark cooperation between the two countries.

Comprehensively China CCTV News, AFP and the South China Morning Post reported that the Long March II C carrier rocket of the China-French Astronomical Satellite (SVOM) was launched Saturday afternoon at China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The SVOM weighs 930 kg and is equipped with four advanced instruments, two made in France and two from China.

SVOM is the world’s most powerful satellite to date for multiband integrated observations of gamma-ray bursts. It will detect and quickly locate various types of gamma-ray bursts through advanced instrumentation, and comprehensively measure their electromagnetic radiation properties.

Gamma-ray bursts, produced during extremely energetic events in the distant Universe, provide unique information about major cosmic phenomena, but are difficult to capture and easily absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere.


According to Francois Gonzalez, project manager at the French National Centre for Space Research, the SVOM can make observations at different wavelengths and obtain “the most complete dataset” showing how explosions occur and evolve over time.

Ore Gottlieb, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics at the Iron Institute in New York, believes SVOM has the potential to unravel several mysteries in the field of gamma-ray bursts, including detecting the most distant gamma-ray bursts in the universe.

Frederic Daigne, an astrophysicist at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, pointed out that gamma-ray bursts could give people a better understanding of the death of certain stars. Analyzing this data could help us better understand the composition of space, gas clouds, or the dynamics of other galaxies.

This level of space cooperation between China and Western powers is rare, especially after the United States banned all cooperation between its space agency and China in 2011. However, space cooperation has been the focus of Sino-French scientific cooperation. In 2018, the two countries jointly launched a marine satellite primarily for marine weather. This year, Chang’e-6 also landed on the far side of the moon with a French radon detector.


[联合早报, Singapore on June 22]



Annoucement by CCTV 13 of the projected launch of a jointly developed Chinese-French satellite for the research of spontaneous gamma ray outbursts in the universe related to the death of stars. The launch has been successfully achieved today, 22 June 2024, as reported in the article above. [CCTV 13, Beijing on January 28]



The French-Chinese space mission SVOM is dedicated to locating and studying the most distant explosions of stars, gamma-ray bursts. These cataclysms, which are signalled by a brief flash of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, accompany the disintegration of the largest stars. Visible to the far reaches of the Universe, these explosions offer the only way to observe the fate of the very first stars in the Universe and to probe the far reaches of the cosmos. Seeing a star explode is a rare event. And yet the first traces of observation are ancient and begin in China, more than a millennium ago. Discover the history of these first observations. An exciting dive into the beginnings of the Universe.
[CEA - The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, or CEA, is a French public government-funded research organisation in the areas of energy, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies.]

...................................................




Thursday, June 20, 2024

خبر عاجل Breaking News:
- Israel's Army Contradicts Netanyahu's Goal of War -

Last Update on June 21

في تصريح لافت، اعتبر المتحدث باسم الجيش الإسرائيلي دانيل هغاري أنه "سيكون من غير الممكن القضاء على حركة حماس"، وذلك بعد أكثر من 8 أشهر من الحرب على قطاع غزة

وفي مقابلة مع القناة 13 الإسرائيلية، الأربعاء، انتقد هغاري الساسة الإسرائيليين لأنهم "لم يطرحوا بديلاً للحركة" في غزة

وقال المتحدث إن "الحديث عن القضاء على حماس ذر للرماد في عيون الشارع الإسرائيلي"، مضيفًا: "ما دام المستوى السياسي لا يطرح بديلاً لحماس فإن حماس باقية"، موضحًا أن حماس فكرة، ومن يظن أنه من الممكن أن تختفي فهو مخطئ



Video from Al-Jazeera on June 20 in Arabic and Hebrew


In a remarkable statement, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari considered that "it will not be possible to eliminate Hamas," after more than 8 months of war on the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Israel's Channel 13 on Wednesday, Hagari criticized Israeli politicians for "not offering an alternative to the movement" in Gaza.

The spokesman said that "talk about the elimination of Hamas is a smokescreen in the eyes of the Israeli street," adding: "As long as the political level does not offer an alternative to Hamas, Hamas remains," explaining that "Hamas is an idea, and whoever thinks it could disappear is wrong. "


[TV Channel 13, Israel on June 20, quoted by German national TV
Editor: Daniel Hagari is an Israeli Defense Forces Rear Admiral
who currently serves as the head of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.]


Putin in North Korea and Vietnam

当地时间6月20日凌晨,俄罗斯总统普京抵达越南首都河内,开始对越南进行国事访问。越共中央对外部部长黎怀忠、越南政府副总理陈红河等到机场迎接。

克里姆林宫新闻局此前曾表示,普京此次访问是应越南共产党中央委员会总书记阮富仲的邀请。访问期间,普京将与越共中央总书记阮富仲、国家主席苏林等举行会见。双方将就俄越两国在经贸、科技和人文等领域进一步发展全面战略伙伴关系的现状和前景,以及国际和地区热点问题进行讨论并交换意见。会谈后将就成果发布联合声明并签署一系列双边合作文件。 在此前一天,普京曾到访朝鲜。值得注意的是,自俄乌冲突升级后,普京很少访问除独联体地区以外的国家。有分析认为,普京此访体现俄方对朝鲜、越南的高度重视,将助推双边关系向更高水平发展。

俄罗斯国际事务专家格里戈里·特罗菲姆丘克认为,普京访问越南恰逢两国签署《越俄友好关系基本原则条约》30周年之际,具有象征意义,“越南从未加入反俄势力和集团,也不支持任何旨在孤立俄罗斯的封锁或制裁。对于俄罗斯来说,这是特别宝贵的地缘政治资本”。

越南媒体《人民》19日发表评论文章表示,普京此访受到了越南领导人和外交专家的特别关注,许多意见认为,此访将为两国关系发展注入新动力,进一步巩固两国人民之间的友谊。该文以三大亮点阐述普京到访对两国关系的重大意义。

路透社20日报道称,在普京抵达越南前,他在当地媒体上撰文,赞扬越南在俄乌冲突上采取务实的解决方式。越南采取“竹子外交”(Bamboo diplomacy)政策,并没有谴责俄罗斯出兵乌克兰,因此被西方国家视为与俄罗斯关系太接近。 此次是普京自2017年以来再次访问越南,也是上任以来的第五次。预计他会与越南领导层举行会谈,以及到胡志明纪念堂献花等。


In the early morning of June 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and began his state visit to Vietnam. Vietnam Communist Party’s Foreign Minister [Le Huizhou] and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister [Chen Hongkawa] arrived at the airport.

The Kremlin Palace Press Bureau has previously stated that Putin’s visit was due to the invitation of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen [Tujan]. During the visit, President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen [Tujan]. The two sides discussed and exchanged views on further development of the two countries in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, and humanities, the current status and prospects of the overall strategic partnership, and international and regional hot spots. After the meeting, a joint statement was issued and a series of bilateral cooperation documents were signed.

The day before, Putin had visited North-Korea. It is worth noting that since the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Putin rarely visited countries outside the CIS region. Analysts believe that Putin’s visit reflects the high importance Russia attaches to North Korea and Vietnam, and will promote the development of bilateral relations towards a higher level.

Russian international affairs expert Grigori Trofim Chukou believes,Putin's visit to Vietnam coincides with the signing of the Treaty on the Basic Principles of Friendship Relations between Vietnam and Russia on the occasion of the 30th anniversary,is symbolic,“Vietnam has never joined the anti-Russian forces and groups,nor does not support any aimed at isolatingFor Russia, this is a particularly valuable geopolitical capital. "

The Vietnamese media 《People》published on June 19 that Putin will receive special attention during this visit from Vietnamese leaders and diplomatic experts. Many sides believe that this visit will inject new impetus for the development of bilateral relations and further consolidate the friendship between the two peoples. Three highlights of the article explain the significance of Putin's visit to bilateral relations.

Reuters reported on the 20th that before Putin arrived in Vietnam, he wrote in the local media, praising Vietnam for taking a pragmatic solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Vietnam adopted “Bamboo diplomacy” policy, and did not condemn Russia sending troops to Ukraine, so Western countries considered [Vietnamese] relations to Russia being too close.

This is Putin’s fifth visit to Vietnam since 2017. Meetings with the Vietnamese leadership are expected to be held, as well as flowers to the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Hall.


[腾讯网, Shenzhen / Guangdong on June 20. Please note: The writing of Vietnamese names
has been adopted from the Chinese text without countercheck with their Vietnamese writing.]

............................


Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to North Korea from June 18 to 19, and a state visit to Vietnam from June 19 to 20. This is the second visit to Korea since Putin was the Russian head of state, and the last visit was in 2000, and this is the first state visit by Putin to Vietnam since 2017. Prior to the event, Putin signed a treaty order on the conclusion of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea.

Putin’s visit to Asia attracted high international attention. The United States, NATO and Japan and South Korea closely monitor Putin's visit itinerary,concerned Russia-Korean military cooperationAnd for General Putin's visit to Vietnam, the U. S. Embassy in Vietnam accused unnamed, "No country should provide a platform for Putin to propagate its 'war of aggression'. "

Analysts believe that at the time of NATO strengthening sanctions against Russia and confrontation, Putin's next trip to Asia obviously continues to deepen Russia's "looking east" strategy. On the 18th, Putin published a signed article in Korea's Labor News, saying that the United States imposed on the world the so-called "rules-based order", essentially speaking of global neocolonialism based on "double standards". Those who disagree with U. S. practices while pursuing an independent policy face increasingly severe external pressure. Putin said that through joint efforts between Russia and Korea, “the bilateral cooperation will be raised to a higher level. ”

...............

18日,普京在朝鲜《劳动新闻》上发表题为《俄罗斯和朝鲜:跨年代继承的友好合作传统》的文章。文章称,俄朝两国本着平等、相互尊重和信任原则保持友好睦邻关系已70多年。克里姆林宫网站当天全文发表了这篇文章。普京表示,“平壤过去是,现在仍然是我们坚定的志同道合者和支持者,准备坚决抵制西方阻止建立多极世界秩序的图谋。”他说,“我们将发展不受西方控制的可替代贸易和结算机制,共同抵制非法的单边限制。”


On the 18th, Putin published an article titled “Russia and Korea: A Tradition of Friendship and Cooperation Across Ages” in the newspaper Labor News in North-Korea. Russia and Korea have maintained the principles of equality, mutual respect and trust, friendship and good-neighbourly relations for more than 70 years. This article was published on the Kremlin Palace website on the day. Putin said, “Pyongyang was in the past, and now we are still firmly like-minded and supporters, ready to resolutely resist the West and prevent the establishment of a multi-polar world order." He said, “We will develop non-Western controlled alternative trade settlement mechanism, jointly boycott illegal unilateral restrictions.”


[網易, Beijing on June 19]

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Amazing Hezbollah Video:
Showing Military and Industrial Sites in the Haifa Area

نشر حزب الله مشاهد استطلاع جوي لمناطق في شمال إسرائيل وميناء حيفا عادت بها طائراته دون أن يرصدها الاحتلال الإسرائيلي

Hezbollah published aerial reconnaissance footage of areas in northern Israel and the port of Haifa in which its planes returned without being detected by the Israeli occupation.


[Al-Jazeera Arabic on June 18]



The above video is generally interpreted as a statement by Hezbollah that they are ready for a full-fledged war against Israel.

The video's appearance coincides with the visit of US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut where he met with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally.

"Speaker Berri and I had a good discussion," Hochstein said, and: "The conflict ... between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough". Adding "It's in everyone's interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically - that is both achievable, and it is urgent."

[Al-Jazeera / RFI Radio France on June 18]

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Israeli - Palestinian Conflict:
French President's Approach Rebuffed by Israel
Israel's Gallant Declares 'No Palestinian State'


Above video: In a leaked audio recording obtained by Israeli news channel Kan 11, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is heard rejecting the idea of the establishment of a Palestinian state and urging people to "​​ignore" statements made by the US on the matter. Along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant is one of the two Israeli officials included in the ICC prosecutor’s arrest warrant applications over alleged war crimes committed in Palestine’s Gaza.

[TRT World, Turkey, and other sources on May 22]











Israeli paper HAARETZ on X (Twitter):
Comment on Netanyahu's war cabinet
by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak:
Israel must oust its failed government
before it sinks into the moral abyss.


This year, Eid al-Adha holiday goes
uncelebrated as hunger grips Gaza.









The United States, France and other mediators have sought for months to find a way to stop the tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful militia and political faction backed by Iran, which has been launching rockets and drones into northern Israel from southern Lebanon.

More than 150,000 people on both sides of the border have been displaced by the fighting. And Israel has warned that it is prepared to take stronger action to dislodge Hezbollah militants from southern Lebanon.

This week, both sides ramped up their attacks, raising fears of another front in the war as Israel presses ahead with its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said France and the United States had agreed in principle to establish a trilateral group with Israel to “make progress” on a French proposal to end the violence.

But Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who has called for Israel to take a harsher tack against Hezbollah, rebuffed Mr. Macron’s overture on Friday. It was not clear if Mr. Gallant was speaking for the Israeli government.

“As we fight a just war, defending our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel,” Mr. Gallant wrote on social media. “Israel will not be a party to the trilateral framework proposed by France.”


[New York Times on June 14]


Tuesday, June 11, 2024

- Breaking -
UN Security Council Passed Gaza Ceasefire Resolution

Added on June 12:
The US Pew Research Center on International Acceptance of
President Biden's Handling of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict


[أخبار الآن on June 10 local time. 'News Now' is focused on Arab youth.]

[星岛 on June 11 local time]

The UN Security Council passed the => Biden proposal <= on a ceasefire agreement (earlier said to be an "Israeli proposal"). The resolution was pushed forward by => Security Council member Algeria <=. Tonight, it was finally accepted by 14 members of the council. Russia abstained from vote and, therefore, helped the resolution pass.

........................................................


其中对于以巴战争的看法,在受访的34个国家中,支持其处理方式的受访者比例中位数为31%,表示反对的达到57%。

拜登政府迄今在这场战争中发挥了重要作用,包括向以色列提供军事援助,同时也向战场加沙地带提供人道援助,同时推动停火谈判。

在几乎所有受调查的国家中,只有不到一半的人认同其处理方式。许多国家的大多数人表示,他们不认同拜登对这场战争的处理方式,以色列也有60%持这一观点。

报告提到,一些穆斯林占大多数的国家,尤其是马来西亚、突尼斯和土耳其,不认同的比例特别高。马来西亚有84%表示不认同,表示认同的受访者只有15%;土耳其有85%表示不认同,认同的受访者只占8%;突尼斯持不认同那个观点者更是达到93%,只有5%受访者表示认同。

.................

皮尤研究中心的这项调查在今年1月5日至5月21日进行,访问了34个国家的4万566名成人。


Regarding the views on the Israeli-Palestinian war, among the 34 countries surveyed, the median proportion of respondents supported the way it was handled was 31%, while 57% opposed it.

The Biden administration has played a major role in the war so far, including providing military aid to Israel but also humanitarian aid to the battleground Gaza Strip while pushing for ceasefire talks.

In almost all countries surveyed, less than half approved of the way it was being handled. Majorities in many countries say they disapprove of Biden's handling of the war, including 60% in Israel.

The report notes that some Muslim-majority countries, notably Malaysia, Tunisia and Turkey, have particularly high rates of disapproval. In Malaysia, 84% disagreed and only 15% agreed; in Turkey, 85% disagreed and only 8% agreed; in Tunisia, 93% disagreed and only 5% of the respondents agreed.

.................

The Pew Research Center survey was conducted from January 5 to May 21 this year, interviewing 40,566 adults in 34 countries.


[东方 Orientaldaily, Malaysia on June 12, quoting the US Pew Center Report]
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world.

Sunday, June 09, 2024

IDF rescued 4 festival goers
- Left almost 1000 dead or wounded -

NEW VICTIM NUMBERS:
[星岛 published outside of China Mainland on June 10]

(Gaza, Tel Aviv, 9th) The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had rescued four kidnapped hostages from the Nuserat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and that they were in good health. However, Gaza hospital officials said that the operation killed 236 Palestinians and injured more than 400 people.

............

Since Palestinian militants attacked and kidnapped 251 hostages in October last year, the Israeli military has rescued seven hostages. There are currently 116 hostages in Gaza, 41 of whom the Israeli military says are dead.

[诗华日报, Malaysia on June 9]

Thursday, June 06, 2024

Delivery of Weapons to Russia and Israel

Here are quotations from Chinese language sources from Singapore dealing with alleged and real weapons delivery from North Korea to Russia:

Foreign ministers from 10 countries, including the G7, condemned North Korea's transfer of arms to Russia, saying the weapons were being used to attack Ukraine.

Reuters reported that the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union, issued a statement on Friday (May 31) urging North Korea to stop arms exports and end its nuclear weapons program.

[联合早报 on May 31]

..............


South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said that the friendly relations between Russia and North Korea are further sublimating, and North Korea has shipped a total of more than 7,000 containers of weapons to Russia.

According to reports from Yonhap News Agency and Agence France-Presse, Shin Won-sik said at a media briefing on Monday (March 18) that North Korea has shipped about 7,000 containers of weapons to Russia, 300 more than previously expected; due to some Sea shipping routes are now suspended and some containers are being shipped to Russia by rail.

[联合早报 on March 18]

.............

The Malaysian company Jatronics was accused of supplying key electronic components for fighter aircraft to Russia, and was sanctioned by the United States.

In response, the Malaysian government stressed that the Malaysian side will only comply with the sanctions list issued by the United Nations Security Council, and that it does not recognize the sanctions. Malaysia also claims that Russia is not on the Security Council sanctions list.

[联合早报 on June 5]

.........................


Further News from Malaysia Customs and semi-official entities:

Malaysia has been among the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause since the onset of the war in the blockaded enclave last October, which has so far killed nearly 36,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the latest figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health authorities.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has frequently criticised Israel's bombardments of the territory and the United States' continued diplomatic and military support of its Middle Eastern ally.

.........................


Earlier in May, the Spanish government refused to allow a cargo ship "carrying 27 tons of explosives" bound for Israel to dock at the country's port. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on May 31 that the cargo ship departed from the port of Chennai in India, thus raising questions from the outside world that "India is providing weapons to Israel." However, some analysts countered that India's weapons technology is relatively immature and the explosives may have come from a third party.

The cargo ship is the Marianne Danica and flies the Danish flag. [凤凰 on June 1st]

Background Info:

The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. (SCI) and the Israeli national carrier, Zim Israel Navigation Co. Ltd., have agreed to cooperate in providing a joint container service to the Indian foreign trade.

While the details, such as ports of call, frequency, and other factors have yet to be worked out and will be announced at a later time, the arrangement envisages the development of cooperation in stages.

Zim Israel will gradually introduce vessels with the aim of upgrading the present SCI container service between India and the U.K. to eventually reach a weekly frequency. The joint service will enable the companies, through hubs in Colombo and Barcelona, to transship containers through connecting services to the Far East, the U.S., and South America.

The first stage of the service was slated to begin at the beginning of this year, and the companies have also agreed to cooperate in other transport-related areas.

[Marine Link on June 6]

...............................




Tuesday, June 04, 2024

ICJ Lawsuit - Palestine Applies for Influence


Palestine applies to join ICJ lawsuit
Israeli army confirms death of 4 hostages
巴勒斯坦申请加入国际法院诉讼 以军确认4名人质死亡

国际法院3日发表两份声明。其中一份声明称巴勒斯坦于5月31日正式承认,国际法院有权管辖《防止及惩治灭绝种族罪公约》第九条所涵盖的、“可能产生或已经产生的所有争端”。另一份声明称,巴勒斯坦于5月31日正式申请加入南非对以色列的诉讼。

巴勒斯坦在获得联合国观察员国地位后,于2014年成为《防止及惩治灭绝种族罪公约》的签署国。

路透社说,如果要求得到批准,巴勒斯坦将有权在此案的审判团队中增加自己选择的一名专案法官。该审判团队目前有16名法官,包括15名法院常任法官和1名以色列专案法官。

The International Court of Justice issued two statements on the 3rd. One of the statements stated that Palestine formally recognized on May 31 that the International Court of Justice has jurisdiction over "all disputes that may arise or have arisen" covered by Article 9 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Another statement said Palestine formally applied to join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel on May 31.

Palestine became a signatory to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 2014 after gaining observer state status at the United Nations.

Reuters agency said: If the request is approved, Palestine will have the right to add an ad hoc judge of its own choice to the panel that currently consists of 16 judges, including 15 permanent judges of the court and one Israeli ad hoc judge.


[中国新闻网 on June 4]

Sunday, June 02, 2024

Chinese Robot landed on the Backside of the Moon

Update on June 4

China Youth News client Beijing, June 2: Reporter Chuang Qiu Chenhui from the National Space Agency informed that on June 2 at 6:23 pm Chang'e 6 lander and ascender assembly with support of the Qian Bridge 2 relay successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area of the Antarctic-Eitken Basin on the backside of the moon.

Since its launch on May 3rd, the Chang'e 6 spacecraft has undergone various operations such as Earth-moon transfer, recent moon braking, orbiting the moon, and landing descent. The Chang'e 6 probe consists of an orbiter, a return vehicle, a lander, and an ascender. May 30 lander-lift combination and orbiter-return combination achieved separation in orbit and, now, successfully landed on the far side of the moon.


Chang'e 嫦娥 = Mythical goddess of the Moon who is said to have stolen the potion of immortality from her husband, then fled to the moon where she was transformed into a toad.



Chang'e 6 taking samples from the moon's surface


Thursday, May 30, 2024

Trump Convicted of Criminal Charges - Historic Verdict -

BREAKING NEWS on 1st June further down !

A Manhattan jury on Thursday found the 77-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee guilty on criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

"This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," Trump told reporters in the Manhattan courtroom hallway after a jury found him guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

[Business Insider on May 30]

.......................................................................
Trump's sentence is due on July 11, 2024.
.......................................................................


On Thursday, May 30, shortly after 5 p.m., Mr. Bragg, [the district attorney of New York], won one of the most consequential trials in American history: Mr. Trump was found guilty on all counts. Jurors determined that he [i.e. Trump] had coordinated an unlawful conspiracy to win the White House in 2016 and had falsified [business] records to cover up his scheme.

“I did my job, and we did our job,” Mr. Bragg said at a news conference on Thursday after the verdict, when asked about the criticism he received about his handling of the investigation and then the case. “There are many voices out there, but the only voice that matters is the voice of the jury, and the jury has spoken.”

[New York Times on May 31]




通过特朗普这个案子,稍具逻辑常识的人都能判断出,哪有什么阴谋论,有的就是教科书式的“法治”。
...........................
特朗普的律师可能会试图将他的判决日期推迟——甚至可能在11月5日总统大选之后。但Merchan法官不太可能在没有充分理由的情况下批准这样的延迟,纽约市辩护律师Michael Bachner说。
...............................
昆尼皮亚克大学周三(5月29日)公布的一项民意调查显示,57%的美国人认为,如果特朗普面临刑事指控,他将被取消竞选总统的资格。55%的人表示,曼哈顿地方检察官正在调查的指控对总统竞选人而言是“极其严重的”。

Through the Trump case, anyone with a little common sense of logic can tell that there are no conspiracy theories but textbook "rule of law."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trump’s lawyers may try to postpone his sentencing date — possibly even after the November 5 presidential election. But Judge Merchan is unlikely to approve such a delay without sufficient reason, said New York City defense attorney Michael Bachner.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday (May 29) showed that 57% of Americans believe that Trump will be disqualified from running for president if he faces criminal charges. Fifty-five percent said the allegations being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney were "extremely serious" for a presidential candidate.


[腾讯 on May 31]




Biden announces proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war,
reacts to Trump conviction
[Face the Nation on 1st June]
Biden speech on May 31, 2024
"Thank goodness, it's Friday"

Monday, May 27, 2024

Israel - Egypt - Lebanon
Rising Tensions after Indiscriminate Rafah Bombing

Last Update on May 29:
Mexico: Pro-Palestine
protestors clash with
police injuring 6 setting
fire to Israel's embassy.





Algeria recently put
forward UN resolution
draft in support of the
Gaza people suffering
from Israeli attacks.

حمدان: محرقة الخيام برفح فشل إستراتيجي للاحتلال وصمت العالم شراكة في الجريمة
Hamdan (*): The incineration of tents in Rafah is a strategic failure for
the occupation, and the world’s silence is an accomplice in the crime


كما شدد على أن الاحتلال الصهيوني لن يستعيد أسراه لدى المقاومة إلاَّ وفق شروط المقاومة التي قُدّمت للوسطاء في مصر وقطر، عبر صفقة حقيقية وجادة، وكلّما تأخّر (نتن ياهو) وداعموه عن هذا الاستحقاق، فقد المزيد من أسراه حياته على يد جيشهم وبالقصف الصهيوني وبالصواريخ الأمريكية

ولفت حمدان إلى أنّ استمرار التهرّب والمماطلة واستمرار القصف والعدوان، يعني أنَّ أسراهم قد لا يعودون إلاّ جثثاً، وربَّما لا يعودون


[Hamdan] also stressed that the Zionist occupation will not return its prisoners held by the resistance except according to the conditions of the resistance that were presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, through a real and serious deal, and the longer “Stinky Yahoo” and his supporters delay this entitlement, the more of its prisoners will lose their lives at the hands of their [own] army, Zionist bombing, and American missiles.

Hamdan pointed out that the continuation of evasion and procrastination [Ausflüchte und Zögern], and the continuation of bombing and aggression, means that their prisoners may return as nothing more than corpses, or they may not return at all.


(*) The leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas,
Osama Hamdan, on his press conference on Monday evening.

[Beirut Time on May 27 evening]


Netanyahu calls deadly strike on Rafah a 'tragic mishap'

All informations included in the above video can be confirmed
by Arabic sources like Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya Net and Youm7.


Saturday, May 25, 2024

International Court of Justice :
Ruling on Immediate Halt of Rafah Operation

Hamas News on Day 232 of the War on Gaza (May 25):


فريقأ تقتلون و تأسرون فريقأ You kill a group, and you capture a group
The military spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, announced that the Qassam fighters were able to capture Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip. Abu Obeida revealed in a speech obtained by Al Jazeera that al-Qassam fighters succeeded in luring an Israeli force to a tunnel in the Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza, killing and wounding its entire members and [making] prisoners.


The International Court of Justice ruled Friday [May 24] that Israel must “immediately halt” its military operation in Rafah, citing “exceptionally grave” developments there, in a rebuke largely welcomed by world leaders. U.N. chief António Guterres “trusts” that Israel will comply with the ruling, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Friday. Although Guterres “has no crystal ball,” Dujarric noted that U.N. member states have a duty under the body’s charter and the World Court’s statutes to abide by the decision.

Orders from the ICJ are legally binding but can be difficult to enforce. Israeli officials said the accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza are “false, outrageous and disgusting,” and they indicated they would ignore the decision. [Washington Post on May 25]

According to the U.N. humanitarian agency, more than 800,000 inhabitants have fled the southern city of Rafah in the past few weeks since the beginning of Israel`s operation in southern Gaza.


Video by Turkish public broadcaster TRT:
"Until Gaza is erased": Israeli hip-hop artists are using genocidal language to glorify Israel's continued offensive in Palestine's Gaza — one that has killed almost 36,000 people since October last year.


Video taken inside Gaza. Footage by Al-Jazeera three days ago. The satellite signal of Al-Jazeera has been definitely cut on behalf of the Israeli government, declaring the global TV broadcaster an instrument of 'propaganda'.


In the above video, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu is
referring to the war on Gaza as a fight against Amalek.

Amalek (Biblical Hebrew: עֲמָלֵק‎, romanized: ʿĂmālēq; Arabic: عماليق, romanized: ʿAmālīq) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the enemy nation of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, or anyone who lived in their territories in Canaan. Islamic tradition considers Amalek to be an Arabian tribe in pre-Islamic Mecca and Medina or North African descendants of Ham, the son of Noah. - Anyway Amalek is considered the current enemy of Israel whose name can change from generation to generation: Once Amalek referred to biblical tribes, then to the Romans. Much later it became the German Nazi 'Reich', and now it is the Palestinians in Gaza and the Westbank.


Gaza at the Zénith in Paris: When French
Rap Vibrated to the Rhythms of Solidarity

"In a most striking display of solidarity, Zenith hall in Paris
was transformed into a sanctuary of support for Palestine.
On May 22, under the spotlight and cheers, a constellation
of rappers shone not only by their talent, but also by their
civic and humanitarian commitment."
[France - Maghreb 2 on May 25]


Le Concert de Solidarité avec la Palestine
au Zénith de Paris, le 22ième May 2024 :