French President Emmanuel Macron publicly asked residents of New Caledonia on Tuesday to lift the barricades that had closed roads for the past month, following widespread and violent unrest.

According to French media, Macron called the situation "unacceptable" after condemning it and called for "the firm and definitive lifting of all blockades."

Local media circulated a letter by Macron calling on New Caledonians to engage in dialogue.

"It always takes longer to build than to destroy," he was cited as saying, stressing the need for constructive efforts toward resolution.

Massive protests and rallies broke out on the Pacific archipelago on May 13 after a voting reform that would allow non-native long-term residents of the island to participate in local polls.

The Indigenous Kanaks on the archipelago, driven by the fact that the move would dilute their input on decisions on their native lands, led demonstrations against the French government.

Reform plan suspended

The territory is located more than 17,000 kilometers from mainland France in the southern Pacific Ocean and is comprised of several islands, yet Paris has relentlessly asserted its right over the territories.

After deploying troops under the guise of police control in the South Pacific territories, Macron has suspended the reform plan.

Macron justified the decision by stating "ambiguity" ahead of the French elections, adding that it was to prioritize "dialogue in the field and restoring the order."

"I have pledged that this reform won’t be pushed through with force today in the current context and that we are giving ourselves a few weeks to allow for calm, the resumption of dialogue, with a view to a global agreement," he said two weeks ago.

The initial phase calls for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, the release of captives including women, the elderly, and the wounded, the return of the remains of some deceased hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza.

This phase also includes the safe and efficient distribution of humanitarian aid across Gaza, ensuring that all Palestinian civilians in need receive assistance, including housing units provided by the international community.

Yankee pigs go home!

The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the flagship of the United States Carrier Strike Group 2, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, in response to multiple American-British strikes on Yemen.

In a statement, the spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced that the YAF's Rocket Force and Navy launched a composite strike on the aircraft carrier.

The strike consisted of multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which dealt direct and precise hits to the USS Eisenhower, Saree explained. The YAF's attack on US Navy assets deployed in the region comes in response to 13 airstrikes that targeted both civilian and military areas across Yemen, leading to 58 casualties.

In detail, Saree said that the strikes in Hodeidah alone killed 16 people and injured another 41, including civilians and military personnel.

Saree reiterated that the YAF will "not hesitate to directly and immediately respond to any renewed aggression on Yemeni soil."

See? China is going to crash for real this time. Just you wait, tankies!

But the IMF noted that, by 2029, China's economic growth is expected to decline to 3.3 percent, citing aging and slower productivity growth.

In a congressional testimony on Wednesday, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasized the potentially severe consequences for the United States if China were to decide to reunify with Taiwan.

Raimondo, showcasing that the US is only interested in Taiwan's "security" because of its importance in the microchip sector, highlighted the critical role of Taiwan in microchip supply and production, stressing the decades-long collaboration between Taipei and Washington in this domain.

Speaking before the US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, Raimondo underscored the significance of Taiwan's contribution to the microchip industry. She pointed out that the United States currently relies heavily on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), procuring 92% of its leading-edge chips from the Taiwanese firm.

The Israeli occupation forces officially began, on Monday, the forceful displacement of the already-displaced Palestinian people currently seeking shelter in Rafah, which had been designated by the Israelis as an alleged "safe zone" early in the war.

Israeli news broadcaster Channel 12 on Sunday reported that a total of 30 servicemembers in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) refused to comply with orders to ready the army for a ground invasion of the city of Rafah.

The broadcaster cited fatigue as the primary reason for the refusal, stating that these servicemembers feel unable to continue fighting in Gaza after nearly 7 months of combat.

Iran imposed itself as major regional player

Scott Ritter, a writer and former Marine Corps officer, told Al Mayadeen that Iran sent a message to the United States that it is capable of breaching the Israeli occupation's sophisticated air defense.

He added that Washington is beginning to see that its capabilities in the Middle East are declining, and this began when Iran shot down a US drone under former US President Donald Trump.

He pointed out that one of the indicators of the decline of the US capabilities in the region has been its inability to stop Yemen's operations in the Red Sea.

Ritter said the United States could no longer do anything in the region, while Iran, on the other hand, is developing its capabilities and is able to harm Washington.

Ritter went on to ask: What does it mean for the United States to tell the Israeli occupation that it would defend it but would not support it in an attack on Iran?

Will we see Irish reunification in 2024?

...during the first weeks of the war, the army almost completely relied on Lavender, which clocked as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants–and their homes–for possible air strikes.

Isn'treal may be reaching a breaking point, at least in terms of its ability to escalate further

...total losses incurred by the Israeli economy amount to a whopping $6 billion since October 7, 2023.

When comparing the median cost of reservists to that of regular troops, a huge gap in costs arises, as an individual from the former group costs "Israel" an average of $13,000 while the latter costs $7,500.

See also: https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-military-demands-14-500-new-recruits--situation--not

The ongoing war on Gaza and confrontations with the Lebanese Resistance on the northern front has caused a shortage of ammunition and supplies within the Israeli occupation forces' arsenal, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported on Friday.