Belarus has deployed nearly one-third of its troops to the border with Ukraine, the country’s authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenka told Russia’s state-run Rossia-1 television channel on 18 August. He said the decision was made in response to Ukraine allegedly maintaining 120,000 soldiers near the border with Belarus and amassing more forces. Lukashenka also insisted that Kyiv had raised the stakes by launching a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
According to the Global Firepower Index (GFI), the Belarussian Army has 263,000 troops and in terms of readiness: 336 tanks, 14 attack helicopters, and nearly 50 attack/fighter jets. GFI ranked Belarussian military strength 64 out 145 countries surveyed in 2024. The longest standing ruler in Europe, the deeply unpopular Lukashenko maintains a 55,000 paramilitary force and never changed the name of the Belarussian KGB after the USSR imploded in 1991.
The majority of the Belarussian population oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the cruel and despotic Aleksandr Lukashenko. His statement on Russian TV was a political maneuver to demonstrate his loyalty to Vladimir Putin and a means of putting pressure on Ukraine. But nothing would destabilize the Lukashenko regime more than Ukrainian rockets and drones smashing into the pristinely kept city of Minsk.
Sources:
Belarusian Leader Says One-Third Of Army Deployed To Ukraine Border (rferl.org)
2024 Belarus Military Strength (globalfirepower.com)
Belarusians are facing discrimination and blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine (theconversation.com)
Mother and Six Children Killed by IDF Airstrike as Secretary of State Blinken Arrives for Truce Talks
After the Israeli attack, the children’s grandfather, Muhammad Awad Khattab, asked a CNN reporter:
“They were taken by surprise when a missile hit them and completely destroyed their apartment. What did they do to deserve this? What resistance did they have?”
This latest IDF effrontery comes one day after a strike killed at least 18 people, all from the same family in central Gaza. Nine children were among those killed and the IDF claimed responsibility for the attack. The IDF killed ten people in southern Lebanon the preceding day (please see yesterday’s Coriolanus post).
Secretary Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, his ninth trip to Israel since 7 Oct 2023. President Biden expressed optimism with Secretary of State Blinken’s efforts at reaching a truce and releasing the hostages. The US administration seems more concerned about the Israeli hostages than the Likud cabinet.
“It’s still underway, we’re not giving up, [it’s] still possible,” Biden said.
But the honorable Mr. Blinken must deal with a man dubbed by Israelis as the “Crime Minister.” Indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, Mr. Netanyahu has also been on trial for corruption and bribery charges in a Jerusalem court.
Israeli PM Netanyahu has turned the Gaza Strip, once described as the “world’s largest open-air prison,” into an immense abattoir. Since October 2023, 40,000 Gazans have been killed (and over 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank). ICC prosecutors at the Hague have been seeking an international arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for several months now.
Marek Edelman, the last surviving commander of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising poignantly remarked:
“To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors.”
Source:
6 children, mother killed by Israeli airstrike as Blinken arrives for truce efforts – UPI.com
ICC statement on arrest warrants of Israeli and Hamas leaders (bbc.com)
Donald Trump Campaign in Shambles as Former President Searches for Scapegoat Amidst Falling Poll Numbers and Internal Dissent from MAGA Supporters
Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is increasingly mired in disarray as the former president grapples with internal conflicts and sinking poll numbers. Staffers and advisors are scrambling to regain control of a campaign that up until mid-summer appeared to be on a steady course. However, Biden’s unexpected exit from the race has left Team Trump unable to adjust to the new political landscape. The former president, known for his reluctance to accept responsibility, is now reportedly searching for someone to blame as his campaign falters.
Moreover, influential far-right figures are turning against former president Donald Trump’s campaign. Some have threatened a digital “war” against the Republican candidate’s aides and allies that could complicate the party’s calls for unity in the final weeks of the presidential race. Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist and podcaster who dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2022, said on X that Trump’s campaign was “blowing it” by not positioning itself more to the right and was “headed for a catastrophic loss,” in a post that had been viewed 2.6 million times.
The former president’s tendency to lash out at those around him, rather than reflect on his own actions, suggests that a major shake-up may be on the horizon. Whether this will be enough to turn the tide in Trump’s favor remains to be seen as the 2024 election draws closer.
Sources:
Far-right influencers turn against Trump campaign (msn.com)
US Food Recall: Over 167,000 Pounds of Purdue Frozen Chicken
All recalled Purdue products are marked with the same P-33944 establishment number on the back which can be used to identify them.
Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken products over fears of contamination. The frozen, ready-to-eat chicken breast nugget and tender items could contain foreign material, specifically metal, the USDA FSIS warned. Perdue said it has received multiple complaints from customers about metal wire embedded in the product, leading it to notify the FSIS.
“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” FSIS advised.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
The products in question were manufactured on 23 March 2024, and were shipped to retail locations across the US while also being sold online directly to consumers. The recalled products include chicken breast tenders and nuggets in different sizes as well as nuggets under the Butcherbox brands.
Source:
US Police Brutality: Two Alaska State Troopers Charged After Violent Assault on Wrong Man
A still photo from video footage of Alaska State Troopers brutally assaulting an innocent man in Soldotna, AK on 24 May 2024. Photo: @kylehopkinsak/X
Alaska State Troopers Sgt. Joseph Miller and K-9 handler Jason Woodruff were charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault following a case of mistaken identity when they pepper-sprayed, tased, and unleashed a police dog on an innocent man on 24 May. The Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety said he was “totally sickened” by what he saw on the troopers’ body cameras.
Troopers Miller and Woodruff responded to a report of an illegally parked car. The vehicle was registered to a man whose name was linked to an active misdemeanor warrant. The troopers ordered the driver out of the vehicle, but broke the car’s windows and dragged him out when he refused, protesting there was no warrant against him.
The troopers then pepper-sprayed and tased him. Woodruff then sicced his police dog on the driver and ordered the animal to “bite the man.” Miller then placed his foot on the man’s head, “pushing it into the ground covered in broken glass,” causing his “face or head” to start bleeding. After the man was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the troopers realized they had actually arrested the cousin of the man with the warrant.
Miller and Woodruff have since been placed on administrative leave and the dog is no longer in service. The troopers next court appearance is on 10 September. The Alaskan government can expect a tremendous civil lawsuit from the grievously injured man and will probably offer the victim a healthy out-of-court settlement.
Incidents of police brutality continue unabated in the US. Episodes like this gave rise to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and De-Fund the Police movements, and who can blame them?
Source:
Alaska state troopers charged after violent assault of wrong man (hngn.com)
https://time.com/5936408/defund-the-police-definition-movement/
US State Department clears $5B Sale of Patriot Missiles to Germany
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The US State Department has approved the sale of the latest variant of Patriot missiles to Germany in a deal that could be worth an estimated $5 billion. The Foreign Military Sale to Germany would involve 600 of the Lockheed Martin-manufactured Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, which includes 10 fly-to-buy missiles.
Germany has invested heavily in its Patriot air and missile defense capabilities this year as it sends both Patriot batteries and interceptors to Ukraine to support the country’s years-long fight against Russia’s invasion. Patriot’s dominance in Ukraine has attracted fresh attention and potential customers from around the world. Germany is a longtime user of Patriot which serves as the air defense for 19 countries, with 15 of those countries using PAC-3 MSE in its missile inventory.
President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to weaken and de-stabilize NATO have backfired. Neutral Finland and Sweden recently joined NATO and last year Poland made a record-breaking deal for 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian Helicopters. The Apache is probably the most lethal attack helicopter in the world.
Sources:
US State Department clears $5B sale of Patriot missiles to Germany (defensenews.com)
Record-Breaking Deal for 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian Helicopters for Poland – MILMAG
Why the AH-64 Apache is the World’s Best Attack Helicopter | The National Interest
Right-Wing Extremist Tied to Threats Against Raw Story Reporter Arrested on Gun Charges
Six neo-Nazis — holding burning flares and raising their arms in Nazi salutes — demonstrated in front of author Jordan Green’s home on 10 Feb 2024. One held a sign threatening “consequences.” (Image courtesy of rawstory.com)
Kai Liam Nix, a 20-year-old Army soldier based at Fort Liberty, NC and tied to white supremacist groups, was arrested on 15 August. He is being detained in a North Carolina jail on a “federal hold.” Nix was linked to a demonstration by neo-Nazis in February outside the Greensboro, NC home of Raw Story reporter Jordan Green. Nix photographed four men wearing skull masks holding burning flares in Hitler salutes while flanking a fifth man, who held a sign warning of “consequences” for Green’s reporting on neo-Nazi youth gang 2119, AKA the Blood and Soil Crew.
The man holding the sign, Sean Kauffmann, along with two of the men making Hitler salutes — Jarrett William Smith and David Fair — had been the subject of Green’s previous reporting.
The US Army has been working for years trying to identify and purge itself of right-wing extremists who enlisted in order to gain expertise in weapons and tactics and then establish networks with other dangerous fellow white nationalists.
In an average year, 1,388 people die and 3,407 are wounded by firearms in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has the 17th-highest rate of gun violence in the US.
Sources:
Right-wing extremist tied to threats against Raw Story reporter arrested on gun charges – Raw Story
Inside the neo-Nazi hate network grooming children for a race war
Florida teens tied to ‘2119’ neo-Nazi gang to plead guilty for antisemitic attacks
The Violent Far-Right Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Military | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)
Gun-Violence-in-North-Carolina-2.9.2021.pdf (everystat.org)
Ten-Year-Old Girl Discovers Dinosaur Footprints On Beach in Wales, UK
“We were just out looking to see what we could find, we didn’t think we’d find anything,” says Tegan, on the beach where the discovery was made. (Undated imagery courtesy of the BBC.)
10-year-old schoolgirl Tegan went for a summer holiday beach stroll with her mother in south Wales and spotted five enormous footprints that dinosaur experts believe are the mark of a camelotia that lived over 200 million years ago.
Efforts are underway to get them verified. Little is known about camelotias but it is thought they walked on their front feet and their hind limbs, were herbivorous and lived during the late Triassic period. The National Museum Wales paleontology curator states that she is “fairly certain they are genuine dinosaur prints.”
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c049pe7gx6do
Coriolanus 