news

So the British media and police has been on a non-stop manhunt for "terror suspect" Daniel Khalife for the last week, who escaped from prison by clinging to the bottom of a truck in a chef's outfit.

Anyone know anything about what Khalife is or did? The media have been exceptionally cagey about it, all they've said is that at some point he allegedly planted fake bombs in a military base and supplied classified information to a "enemy of the UK".

Apparently they finally caught him roughly an hour ago. I don't know what to make of it because I have no idea what he's done, what country he gave info to and what his goals were.

I just got called “Russian on the inside” as a response for calling someone a Nazi for enjoying watching soldiers die and NOT being a Russian.

Please, I prefer to be called “Soviet on the inside”.

So Guatemala actually succeeded in getting a center- leftist (which is as radical as our candidates ever get like Arbenz) elected and our corrupt America worshipping congress has pulled the CIA playbook of crying voter fraud and delegitimizing the party. Surprisingly, the US has sanctioned one of the prosecutors pulling this bullshit. The supreme court is packed with right-wing Evangelicals pleasing their gringo masters, so we'll see if this election victory goes anywhere.

Bolivia, Ecuador, and Honduras under Zelaya should have been lessons that a more militant approach is absolutely necessary because the right-wing will pull out everything to secure their dominance.

Edit: Should add that he's like that dumbass Boric in Chile by badmouthing Nicaragua and Venezuela, also pulling the "Russia bad" card and suspending deals with them. This could be why the US is willing to support him. He's promising some stuff that's radical by our standards but unfortunately lacking the teeth that a country like Honduras is currently offering.

Somebody asked me for a video of a Ukrainian de-conscripting himself by hitting a recruiter with a rock. I finally found it. It's short but sweet.

https://leftypol.org/edu/src/1693955002688-3.mp4

I've noticed that it's mostly office workers that spend hours and years of their life obsessing over Ukraine on Reddit. I work in trades and most of our conversations are about videogames, trips, personal life, and topics related to what we do. I hang out with a bunch of office workers every now and then. They talk about politics a lot more and geopolitical shit as well. Must be nice to have that much free time simping for a country you probably made fun of less than a decade ago.

Just a thought completely unrelated to any current news: Western European nations maintains absurd terminologies such as "third generation immigrant" as a way of denying that they have gained domestic ethnic minorities and casting these minorities as alien.

So... Nobody wants to talk about "Elon mode" on here?

I guess a few days ago he went on Livestream and put the car in "Elon mode" which disables all the safety features. Now the NHTSA or whoever is scrambling to figure out wtf is up with that. "Elon mode" tried to drive him into traffic on stream btw, so he had to slam on the brakes.

The very first Challenger 2 got destroyed near Robotyne. Likely to be from the 82nd Brigade.

https://twitter.com/squatsons/status/1698874543090335841

Saw this from SCMP While under US sanctions, where did Huawei get the advanced chips for its latest Mate 60 Pro smartphone?

This was also in the Washington post: New phone sparks worry China has found a way around U.S. tech limits

U.S. sanctions were intended to slow China’s progress in emerging fields like artificial intelligence and big data by cutting off its ability to buy or build advanced semiconductors, which are the brains of these systems. The unveiling of a domestically produced seven-nanometer chip suggests that has not happened.

Industry experts cautioned that it’s still too early to tell how competitive China’s chipmaking operations will become. But what is clear is that China is still in the game.

Willy Shih, an economist at Harvard Business School, said Huawei’s breakthrough was evocative of what happened with Global Positioning System technology, now commonly known as GPS. The U.S. Defense Department developed the technology and restricted its export, wary of it in the hands of rivals. But the export restrictions pushed Moscow and other governments to develop their own versions, Shih said.

“So it went from a situation where the U.S. really dominated that technology and everyone would come to the U.S. to buy it, to now there are all these different alternatives,” he said. “And you have to wonder if the same thing is happening now with Huawei.”

Miller says a considerable gap remains between SMIC’s capabilities and those of TSMC, the industry leader that produces the newest chips for companies like Apple. It also remains unclear if SMIC can produce advanced chips at a scale and cost that will make its products globally competitive.

Shih said that regardless if SMIC can reach the cutting edge, the foundry will certainly be able to produce older-generation chips at scale, possibly pushing down prices of chips worldwide. “We will see price pressure and commoditization pressure,” he said.

U.S. companies like Intel and Qualcomm have already lost significant sales in China, the world’s second-largest economy, due to the U.S. sanctions, crimping their research and development budgets. U.S. executives fear this could weigh on their long-term strength, in an industry where only a few of the strongest, fastest companies tend to survive.

Two opinion polls about the mood in Russia at the moment.

The first is by Levada Centar, a western funded organisation located in Estonia.

50% of Russians are for peace negotiations, 38% believe military operations should continue no matter what. But only 20% believe that for the sake of peace and the end of the NWO, it is possible to make concessions to Ukraine. 71% believe that there is no need to make concessions.

Most Russians are ready for the sake of peace to agree to exchange of prisoners of war (82% are totally in favour, another 10% find it acceptable).

-55% consider an immediate ceasefire preferable, another 17% acceptable, although here we have a significant 21% who are categorically against it).

But Russians do not agree under any circumstances that Ukraine will be able to join NATO (categorically against - 76%) or returning new territories to Ukraine (76% are categorically against the return of the LPR and DPR, 68% are categorically against the return of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions).

Compared to the same poll in February of this year, more Russians consider it unacceptable to return the New Territories to Ukraine. The position on Ukraine in NATO has not changed at all since last year.

70% say they support the actions of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine. In July it was 75%, in June 73%.

In another, by VTsIOM, a large russian institute, 67% of Russians support shifting the priorities in its relations from Europe and US to Eastern countries. 11% are against, 15% say they don't care, 7% find it difficult to answer. Young people are more likely to be indifferent, but not to be against it.

TL;DR Putin's declared objection to Ukraine joining NATO is still a position supported by the vast majority(76%!) of population. Likewise there is no sign Russians believe in general to be in a losing position i.e no concessions and no returning gained territories(Kherson, Zapo, DPR, LPR).

For any lib out there thinking Putin is some unpopular dictator and where the Russians are just waiting anxiously for the opportunity for some regime change because something something democracy.

Blinken is in Kiev. Putin has the opportunity to do something funny.

Nicaragua Announces Its Intention to Join the BRICS

"BRICS is where the most powerful countries come together with the most impoverished countries because they join forces to fight poverty and hunger," Ortega said.

On Monday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced his nation's interest in joining the BRICS, the group of emerging economies led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"We are knocking on the door because that is the multipolar world," the leader of the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) said during a ceremony on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the constitution of the Nicaraguan Army.

"BRICS is where the most powerful countries come together with the most impoverished countries because they join forces to fight poverty and hunger," he added.

"Over there the agenda is not defined in function of war as it happens in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, headed by the United States," Ortega pointed out.

"BRICS is making its way in the world and the earth's empires are trying to avoid integration between the nations that want to cooperate not to invade or bomb another country but to strengthen economic and social relations in the fight for peace," he added.

"Nicaragua recognizes in the BRICS a powerful initiative that will allow us to strengthen the multipolar world and change the unfair, colonialist, and imperialist economic model," the Nicaraguan government said on August 24, when it greeted the entry of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran to the BRICS.

These six countries will become full members of the BRICS from January 1, 2024. The expansion of the group is part of its plan to gain influence and be able to reshape global governance towards a multipolar world order, which places the voices of the South Global at the center of the world's political agenda.

What is the difference between the liberal universalist definition of ideology and Marxist (or Zizek's)?

I'm helping a baby Marxist study for a class and the class is trying to flatten Marxism and Fascism into the same thing, treating ideology like a religion and saying that the reason people die in the third world (revolutions, resistance and otherwise) is because silly people believe in things too hard.

Like in 9/11

✈️

Statement from the Cuban ministry of foreign affairs about cuban mercenaries in ukraine:

The Ministry of the Interior has detected and it is working to neutralize and dismantle a human trafficking network that operates from Russia in order to incorporate Cuban citizens living there and even some living in Cuba, into the military forces that participate in military operations in Ukraine. Attempts of this nature have been neutralized and criminal proceedings have been initiated against those involved in these activities.

Breaking NATO military news!

In a move that will delight short kings — and queens — Denmark's royal guard is abolishing it's height requirement, citing liberal ideals of inclusivity as well as fears that the current height requirement for women is illegal gender discrimination as it is above the average height for women. All parties in parliament, excluding two of the three fascist parties, back the movement, dispelling fears that "it will look weird if they put a very short soldier next to a verytall one" with reassurances that "the royal guard is good at placing people". The royal guard is a regiment of the Danish army that receives ordinary military training in addition to performing ceremonial guard duties at royal palaces dressed in 19th century costume to the delight of tourists and chuds alike.

Cuba Arrests People Linked to Russian-Based Mercenary Network

Fourteen of them joined the operation by individual decision in exchange for residence in Russia.

On Thursday, Cuban authorities arrested 17 people related to a network that recruited mercenaries to fight for Russia.

Three of these people belonged to the recruitment scheme within the island, while the other fourteen have confessed to having joined the operation by individual decision in exchange for residence in Russia and a substantial monetary remuneration.

The Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry announced the dismantling of the network after several media reported the presence of Cuban mercenaries fighting on the Russian side in the Ukrainian conflict.

Based on confessions from those arrested and wiretapping, Cuban authorities determined that the network's recruiters were looking for individuals with criminal records and from dysfunctional families.

Although at the moment the crimes for which the detainees are being investigated have not been revealed, the digital media Cubadebate highlighted that the new penal code establishes severe penalties for crimes related to human trafficking and mercenarism.

Jose Luis Reyes, the chief prosecutor of the Supervision Department of the Directorate of Criminal Proceedings of the Attorney General's Office, explained that "in the investigations the attributable crime will be determined for each case, in correspondence with the actions and will of those involved."

The Foreign Ministry stressed that "Cuba is not part of the war conflict in Ukraine," and that Cuba "is acting and will act vigorously" against anyone who "participates in any form of human trafficking for purposes of recruitment or mercenarism so that Cuban citizens do use of weapons against any country".

you know that discredited line about no two countries with a McDonald's going to war? I wonder if during the Triple Entente there were shitlibs pooh-poohing a World War with some similar maxim

Weekly Update from August 28th to September 4th

It's time to report the GOD DAMN news! COLD HARD FACTS!

Part 1: Afghanistan to Ethiopia

BREAKING: New US election polling data shows run away victory for surprise candidate

Americans realize that maybe making your tank weigh 65 tons isn't such a good idea

The U.S. Army is scrapping its current upgrade plans for the Abrams main battle tank and pursuing a more significant modernization effort to increase its mobility and survivability on the battlefield

“We must optimize the Abrams’ mobility and survivability” ... Weight is a major inhibitor of mobility, Norman said last fall. “We are consistently looking at ways to drive down the main battle tank’s weight to increase our operational mobility.”

American equipment in storage turns out to have been improperly maintained

Equipment drawn from the U.S. Army’s Kuwait-based pre-positioned stock bound for Ukraine was not ready for combat operations, the Pentagon’s inspector general has found.

All six of the M777 howitzers and 25 of 29 M1167 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles were not “mission ready” and required repairs before U.S. European Command could send the equipment to Ukraine

issues with poor maintenance and lax oversight of the [APS] equipment could result in future delays for equipment support provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the report read. “In addition, if U.S. forces needed this equipment, they would have encountered the same challenges.”

When the team arrived at Camp Arifjan in March 2022, the contractor provided a howitzer that it said was fully mission capable. But the weapon system was not maintained according to the standard technical manual, per the mobile repair team, and “ ‘would have killed somebody [the operator],’ in its current condition,” the report stated.

the commander stated the contractor “is not contractually obligated or appropriately resourced to maintain [APS] equipment” at standards laid out in the technical manual the inspector general followed to make determinations regarding mission-capable readiness of the equipment.

lol what the fuck? how can someone who's been hired to maintain your shit not be obligated to follow the manual for maintaining said shit? also imagine leaving the maintenance of your military equipment to fucking private contractors, truly capitalism is the most rational system

https://nitter.net/SatimMonitoring/status/1699033904244535646

Looking past the Ukrainian assertions that Russia is "strapping tires to its planes" in a desperate attempt to mitigate damage, whatever Russia is doing appears to be some kind of sensor camouflage.

My understanding is that some drones/missiles rely on preloaded (radar-based?) images of the target in order to home in on it. By disrupting the appearance of the planes, that type of targeting wouldn't work, I guess?

Jill Biden has tested positive with a mild case of Covid, Joe tests negative

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/05/jill-biden-positive-for-covid-president-joe-biden-tests-negative.html

Russian President calls Ukraine's summer counteroffensive a "failure"

Russian president Vladimir Putin labels Ukraine’s summer counter-offensive, which has been underway since June, a "failure". The comments come despite Ukraine claiming to have made further gains on its southern front and near Bakhmut.

Where are we in thinking that the Ukranian banning of leftists parties was genuine fear that they would drum up popular support and eventually seek a peaceful rapprochement with Russia and western Ukraine? By rapprochement, of course, I mean genuine prosecution and purging of fascist elements from ‘within’ Ukraine?

It doesn’t take some oracle to know that war is bad and that the foreseeable future would be bad for Ukraine, so I’m under the assumption that the Ukrainians banned opposition so early in the war as to curtail popular dissent. Is this analysis anywhere in the realm of being realistic?

Ukraine’s Spring Counteroffensive has been a roaring success!

The Summer Counteroffensive is steamrolling the Russians!

Fall Counteroffensive triumph! 100 million Russians dead!

The Winter Counteroffensive an extreme success, Ukrainian troops mere kilometers from Russian defenses!

Why did the Left not canvass for Biden? - the washington post in exile