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☆ Ex-SOCOM head warns an Israeli invasion of Gaza will be harder than even the toughest battle against ISIS
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

More than two weeks after the Hamas terror attacks, the Israeli ground invasion is yet to begin. A ground fight in Gaza would likely feature brutal urban combat, including surprise and guerilla tactics. Current and former US military leaders warn it will be harder than the toughest battle against ISIS. AdvertisementAdvertisementCurrent and former US military leaders are warning that an Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, should the military go forward with it, will be more difficult than even the toughest battle against the Islamic State. There, in Gaza, Israeli soldiers could face a prolonged urban combat, brutal fighting which may feature heavy civilian casualties, booby traps, surprise attacks, and guerilla tactics.

Persons: —, Joseph Votel, Israel, Mostafa Alkharouf, Votel, ABC's Jonathan Karl, Lloyd Austin, we've, Austin, Hatem Ali Gaza, Biden, John Kirby Organizations: ISIS, Service, Islamic, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Army, Operations Command, Associated Press, Getty, US Central Command, US, AP, National Security Locations: Gaza, Islamic State, Syrian, Raqqa, Iraqi, Mosul, Israel, Sderot, Anadolu, Austin, Rafah, Iran

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Prime Minister Viktor Orbán compared Hungary's membership in the European Union to more than four decades of Soviet occupation of his country during a speech on Monday commemorating the anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution. Yes, it happens that history repeats itself,” Orbán said at the event, from which all media were excluded except Hungary's state media. “We had to dance to the tune that Moscow whistled,” Orbán said of Hungary's days in the Eastern Bloc. On Monday, Orbán said that while the Soviet Union had been “hopeless,” he believed that governance in the EU could be reformed through an European Parliament election scheduled for June 2024. “Moscow was irreparable, but Brussels and the European Union can still be fixed,” he said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, ” Orbán, “, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin Organizations: —, European Union, “, Soviet, Red Army, Eastern Bloc, NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Soviet, Veszprem, Brussels, Moscow, Hugnary's, Budapest, Ukraine, Beijing, United States, “ Hungary, Russia, Soviet Union, “ Moscow

☆ Trump dominates GOP money race, DeSantis spends heavily, George Santos goes negative: Takeaways from new campaign finance reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Fredreka Schouten David Wright Alex Leeds Matthews | Fredreka Schouten | David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Eyes on the SenateCalifornia hosts a high-profile 2024 Senate race, as a crowded field vies to succeed the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Porter’s report showed her campaign collected $3.4 million and had amassed nearly $12 million in cash on hand by September 30. One of Sinema’s top challengers, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, had a strong fundraising quarter by contrast. And in Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey raised $3.2 million and had nearly $7.4 million on hand for another top race. Kim outraises MenendezFederal prosecutors last month lodged bribery-related charges against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, just days before the end of the fundraising quarter.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Scott, DeSantis, meanwhile, Trump’s, Haley, Christie, Nikki Haley’s, Haley’s, Chris Christie, Democratic Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Adam Schiff, Schiff, Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, Porter’s, Lee, Sen, Laphonza Butler, Gavin Newsom, Kyrsten Sinema, Sinema, hasn’t, Ruben Gallego, Gallego, Kari Lake, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, West Virginia Sen, Joe Manchin, Jim Justice, Alex Mooney, Matt Dolan, Bernie Moreno –, Sherrod Brown, Dolan, Moreno, Brown, Tammy Baldwin, Jacky Rosen, Sam Brown, Debbie Stabenow’s, Elissa Slotkin, Slotkin, Hill Harper, Bob Casey, Republican Dave McCormick, McCormick, Kim outraises Menendez, Bob Menendez, Menendez, Andy Kim, Kim, George Santos, Santos, –, Amy Walter, Curtis Hertel, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Gavin de Becker, Trump Organizations: CNN, White, Florida Gov, White House, Trump, N2024D, GOP, PAC, South Carolina Gov, Former New Jersey Gov, Senate California, Democratic, Los, Democratic Gov, Democratic Party, Senate, Democratic Rep, Arizona Republicans, Pinal County Sheriff, West, Cleveland Guardians MLB, Republican, Bob Menendez of New, Republicans, Congressional District, RFK Jr, Associates Locations: Florida, Trump, South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Los Angeles, Arizona, Pinal County, Ohio, Cleveland, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, York, Long, Michigan’s, Democratic, California

☆ Modi's government and some of India's elites are battling for control of one of the country's most elite private clubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Delhi Gymkhana Club is one of the oldest and most elite private clubs in India. AdvertisementAdvertisementMembers of the Delhi Gymkhana — one of the oldest private clubs in India — are trying to wrest back control after India's far-right government seized it in 2022. The club was first established by British colonists in 1913 as a sporting club called the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana, according to its website . Some of the club's members say that the government takeover is part of the BJP's broader agenda to control the country's social institutions. Ajai Shukla, a former army colonel, said the takeover reflects motivations to control "instruments of privilege and hand them out as favors."

Persons: —, Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party —, Ajai Shukla, Atul Dev, Dev Organizations: Delhi Gymkhana, Service, Imperial Delhi Gymkhana, Salute Magazine, Financial Times, Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindustan Times Locations: Delhi, India, Imperial

☆ Russian failures in Ukraine are forcing Moscow to give up on one of the biggest Putin-era military reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As a result, Russia's military is ditching one of the main reforms lauched under Vladimir PutinNEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The German Army in World War II routinely formed combined-arms battlegroups ("kampfgruppen"), as did the US Army's task forces. BTGs were composed of professional contract soldiers, who are generally more capable, competent, and motivated than the sullen conscripts that still hamper Russia's army today. A few high-readiness battalions can't compensate for the low-readiness conscripts that make up about one-third of Russia's army. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images"The Russian military is well-suited to short, high-intensity campaigns defined by a heavy use of artillery," Michael Kofman and Rob Lee, both experts on Russia's military, wrote in June 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Josef Stalin, SERGEY VENYAVSKY, Olesya, Tkacheva, BTGs, SERGEI VENYAVSKY, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Michael Kofman, Rob Lee, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Russian, Red Army, Tactical Groups, Getty, Ukraine —, Brussels School, Governance, Wilson Center, Washington DC, German Army, US, Foreign Military Studies Office, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Troops, Soviet Army, British Army, Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Chechen, AFP, Washington, Russian, Georgia, Moscow, Syria, Russia's, Krasnodar, Soviet, BTGs, Germany, Forbes

☆ Two top Polish army commanders quit 5 days ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Polish President Andrzej Duda and Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Rajmund Andrzejczak attend the military parade on Armed Forces Day, celebrated annually on August 15 to commemorate Poland's victory over the Soviet Union's Red Army in 1920, in Warsaw, Poland, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreWARSAW, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Two top Polish army commanders resigned on Tuesday, spokespeople said, days before an election in which the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has made national security a key issue in its bid for an unprecedented third term in power. On Tuesday, the armed forces operational commander, Lieutenant General Tomasz Piotrowski, and the chief of staff, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, submitted their resignations, spokespeople for the respective services confirmed to Reuters. National Security Bureau chief Jacek Siewiera said the president had accepted their resignations and new commanders would be appointed later in the day. "(It is) a complete disgrace for Minister Blaszczak, who has long crossed over the line into using the Polish army in a partisan way," Tomasz Siemoniak, a former defence minister from the opposition Civic Platform, wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Rajmund Andrzejczak, spokespeople, Mariusz Blaszczak, Tomasz Piotrowski, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, Jacek Siewiera, Blaszczak, Tomasz Siemoniak, Donald Tusk, Karol Badohal, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Staff, Polish Armed Forces, Armed Forces, Soviet Union's Red Army, REUTERS, Justice, Defence, Reuters, National Security Bureau, Rzeczpospolita, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Moscow

☆ Poland to evacuate its citizens from Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Poland will send military planes to evacuate its citizens from Israel, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sunday, a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. "We are sending air force transport planes to carry out the evacuation of Poles currently staying in Israel. Soldiers from our special forces will ensure loading protection and safety on board," Duda wrote on X social media platform. Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Poland was sending two C-130 Hercules planes to evacuate some 200 Poles from Ben Gurion Airport. It would add more planes if necessary or liaise with Greece to ferry Polish citizens to the Mediterranean country before bringing them home on Casa transport planes.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Kacper, Duda, Mariusz Blaszczak, Blaszczak, Ben Gurion, Karol Badohal, Toby Chopra Organizations: Armed Forces, Soviet Union's Red Army, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Defence, Ben Gurion, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Israel, Polish, Ben, Greece

☆ 'They're just meat': Russia deploys punishment battalions in echo of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

"Storm fighters, they're just meat," said one regular soldier from army unit no. He said he didn't know why the commander gave the order, but claimed that it typified how Storm-Z fighters were considered of lesser value than ordinary troops by officers. Three of the five Storm-Z fighters interviewed by Reuters, and the relatives of three other Storm-Z fighters, described nightmarish engagements that saw much of their squads wiped out. At a televised meeting with a small group of regular Russian servicemen, he said he was aware that two of their comrades, former prison inmates, had been killed in action. Three Storm-Z fighters said they were offered wages of about 200,000 roubles ($2,000) per month, though said they had been paid roughly half that amount, on average.

Persons: Polina Nikolskaya, Maria Tsvetkova, who've, Wagner, Reuters wasn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josef Stalin, Artyom, Shchikin, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov, Shchikin's, Z, Igor, they'd, we've, Christian Lowe, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, REUTERS Acquire, Maria Tsvetkova LONDON, Convicts, Storm, Reuters, Kremlin, 237th, Intelligence Team, Institute for, Red Army, 291st Guards, Rifle Regiment, 291st, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, U.S, Soviet, Mordovia, Zaporizhzhia, Geneva, France, Siberia

☆ Top US general taking steps to protect family after Trump death comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!" Trump said on Sept. 22 on his Truth Social platform. Milley assumed the chairman role in October 2019 during Trump's presidency and is set to step down on Sept. 30. And I'll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family." Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mark Milley, Joe Biden, Larry Taylor, Leah Millis, Staff Mark Milley, Donald Trump, Trump, Milley, I've, Costas Pitas, Rami Ayyub, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S . Joint Chiefs, Staff, White, REUTERS, Joint Chiefs, Fake, CBS, Thomson Locations: U.S, Vietnam, Washington , U.S, China, Afghanistan, United States

☆ Amid imports dispute, Poland tells Ukraine to remember its help
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks as he attends the military parade on Armed Forces Day, celebrated annually on August 15 to commemorate Poland's victory over the Soviet Union's Red Army in 1920, in Warsaw, Poland, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine should remember that it receives help from Poland, the Polish president said on Tuesday, amid a deepening dispute between the countries over agricultural imports. The ban was introduced after the countries saw a flood of cheap imports from Ukraine as it struggled to ship grain further afield. Duda said that if Ukraine filed the complaint, Poland would explain the situation before the tribunal. He underscored that the ban regarded imports but not transit of Ukrainian grain.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Kacper, Duda, Alan Charlish, Karol Badohal, William Maclean, Mark Potter Organizations: Armed Forces, Soviet Union's Red Army, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations General Assembly, European Commission, World Trade Organization, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, New York, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria

☆ In Russia's Pacific Port, Residents Await North Korea's Kim Jong Un
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - In Russia's Pacific port, residents said the stars may have aligned for a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the United States fears could lead to more weapons supplies for Russia's military in Ukraine. But state media in both North Korea and Russia have been silent. One source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that a Kim visit was expected in coming days. Russia's Interfax news agency citied several unidentified sources as saying that Kim was due to visit Russia's far east shortly. NORTH KOREADuring the Cold War, Moscow supported North Korea though relations were complicated when China's Mao Zedong split with the Kremlin over its aim for peaceful coexistence with the West.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim, YTN, Fyodor, Putin, Nikolai, China's Mao Zedong, Jake Sullivan, Yelena, Sergei Shoigu, Svetlana, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Nick Macfie Organizations: North, New York Times, Reuters, Communist, Red Army, Kremlin, West, United, White House National, U.S, Russian Defence Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kim's, North Korea, Pacific, Vladivostok, Moscow, Russia's, South Korean, KOREA, Soviet Union, China, Pyongyang, Korea, Khabarovsk, Russian

☆ In Russia's Pacific port, residents await North Korea's Kim Jong Un
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 11 (Reuters) - In Russia's Pacific port, residents said the stars may have aligned for a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the United States fears could lead to more weapons supplies for Russia's military in Ukraine. But state media in both North Korea and Russia have been silent. One source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that a Kim visit was expected in coming days. Russia's Interfax news agency citied several unidentified sources as saying that Kim was due to visit Russia's far east shortly. NORTH KOREADuring the Cold War, Moscow supported North Korea though relations were complicated when China's Mao Zedong split with the Kremlin over its aim for peaceful coexistence with the West.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim, YTN, Fyodor, Putin, Nikolai, China's Mao Zedong, Jake Sullivan, Yelena, Sergei Shoigu, Svetlana, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Nick Macfie Organizations: North, New York Times, Reuters, Communist, Red Army, Kremlin, West, United, White House National, U.S, Russian Defence, Thomson Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kim's, North Korea, Pacific, Vladivostok, Moscow, Russia's, South Korean, KOREA, Soviet Union, China, Pyongyang, Korea, Khabarovsk, Russian

☆ The war in Ukraine is pushing Russia away from its WWII-style artillery strategy, and experts say it's 'a concerning trend'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia and Ukraine have relied heavily on artillery to batter each other's forces. AdvertisementAdvertisement"This is a concerning trend, as over time it will likely significantly improve Russian artillery," write the report's authors, Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds. Russian artillery doctrine is still largely based on extensive analysis of World War II data to determine how many shells were needed to achieve a specific effect. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev"First, Russian forces lack the ammunition to sustain this volume of fire," the RUSI report said. According to the RUSI report, Russia continues "to rely heavily" on multiple-launch rockets, 120-mm mortars, and "other imprecise systems," and "corner-cutting in the production of its munitions is becoming apparent."

Persons: Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, ANDREY KRONBERG, —, Stalin, Operation Bagration, Maxim Zmeyev, Andrey Rusov, Katyusha, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Getty, REUTERS, Russian Defense Ministry, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Western, Moscow, Volgograd, AFP, Berlin, Russian, Saratov, US, Soviet, Forbes

☆ Venice shows small films can make it, Danish director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Malgorzata Wojtunik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VENICE, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The warm reception given to Danish film "The Promised Land" at the Venice Film Festival on Friday showed that small-budget, independent films can flourish as a strike brings much of Hollywood to a standstill, its director said. You don't have to do the studio system," director Nikolaj Arcel told Reuters. "Obviously as a writer, director, I'm in full support of the strike, and I really hope they will get everything they want," Arcel said. So it was it was it was quite a joyful experience to do this film," Arcel said. "The Promised Land" is one of 23 movies competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, which runs until Sept. 9.

Persons: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Arcel, Arcel, Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Mikkelsen, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Golden Lion, Venice Film, Thomson Locations: VENICE, Danish, Venice, Hollywood, Jutland

☆ Bolsonaro stays silent in police probe of undeclared Saudi, Bahrain jewelry gifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, attend a Partido Liberal Mulher event at the Legislative Assembly of the state of Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 6, 2023. After the presidential gifts became a matter of public knowledge, a court ordered the couple to hand them over to the state. His presidential offices, the Supreme Court and Congress were invaded and vandalized by Bolsonaro supporters one week later. Bolsonaro and Michelle Bolsonaro spent the last two days preparing with their team of lawyers and advisers, officials in his political party said. Cid, who handled the Bolsonaro finances, was arrested for his suspected involvement in a scheme to provide Bolsonaro with false vaccine cards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: Jair Bolsonaro, Michelle Bolsonaro, Carla Carniel, Michelle, Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro, Prosecutors, Alexandre de Moraes, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cid, Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle, Grant McCool Organizations: Partido Liberal, Legislative, REUTERS, Rights, Federal Police, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rights BRASILIA, Brasilia, Guarulhos, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United States

☆ An elite team of Ukrainian snipers dubbed 'Devils and Angels' is taking out top Russian commanders to demoralize troops: 'We work quietly, we are invisible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian snipers are focused on taking out high-profile Russain targets and demoralizing troops. A sniper unit training near Bakhmut calls itself "Devils and Angels," The Wall Street Journal reported. The team of snipers has dubbed itself the "Devils and Angels," according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The snipers training near Bakhmut told the outlet that in addition to their marksmanship, they're training to be even more elusive in the field. AdvertisementAdvertisementAlso in June a Ukrainian sniper picked off Vladimir Andonov, a Wagner Group member known at "The Executioner" and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most notorious mercenary fighters.

Persons: Robert Scales, Bakhmut, Fisher, Mark Cancian, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Vladimir Andonov, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Street Journal, Military, Service, Devils, Street, Ukraine Ukrainian, CNN, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Wagner Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Colombia attorney general stands by claim that ELN rebels plan to kill him
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Francisco Barbosa, Colombian Attorney General speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota, Colombia March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general on Wednesday defended the credibility of intelligence reports that ELN rebels were plotting to kill him and two other people despite denials by the ELN and military. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa reported that the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group planned to assassinate him using a sniper. The ELN has denied it planned the attacks, while Colombia's government has said it had no received no such reports. For two years, intelligence sources have known about the ELN's plan to carry out an attack in Bogota, the attorney general's statement said.

Persons: Francisco Barbosa, Luisa Gonzalez, General Francisco Barbosa, Maria Fernanda Cabal, Eduardo Zapateiro, ELN, Barbosa, Ivan Velasquez, Antonio Garcia, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Colombian, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, National Liberation Army, Democratic Center, Defense, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia's

☆ Pakistani rescuers try to free 6 kids and 2 men in a cable car dangling hundreds of feet in the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A cable car carrying six children and two adults dangled hundreds of meters (feet) above the ground in a remote part of Pakistan after it broke on Tuesday, trapping the occupants for hours before rescuers arrived in helicopters to try to free them. Army commandos could be seen on local TV trying to lower themselves on ropes from the choppers toward the cable car. An expert warned the rescue was incredibly delicate because the wind created by the helicopters' blades could further weaken cables holding the car aloft. "Let us pray that those trapped in the cable car are safely rescued," Sultan said. In 2017, 10 people were killed when a cable car fell into a ravine hundreds of meters (feet) deep in the popular mountain resort of Murree after its cable broke.

Persons: Taimoor Khan, Haq Kakar, Tipu Sultan, Khan, Sultan Organizations: Army, Helicopters, Twitter Locations: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Battagram district, Murree

☆ Putin's invasion of Ukraine was his 'greatest intelligence fiasco,' spy expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's invasion of Ukraine was an "intelligence fiasco," an intelligence expert wrote in The Times. He said that Russia's FSB had failed to adequately prepare for the invasion of Ukraine. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyRussian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine was his "greatest intelligence fiasco," an intelligence expert has claimed. It likely played a role in the FSB's failure to establish well-placed recruits to act as saboteurs and help Russian forces during the invasion, Walton wrote. "The time after the war, with all the expulsions, was a fateful time for the Russian intelligence system," a European intelligence official told the outlet.

Persons: Calder Walton, Vladimir Putin's, Walton, Putin, Celestino Arce, Der Spiegel, Der, Horst Jehmlich Organizations: The, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Service, Sunday Times, Intelligence, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Guardian, Red Army Locations: Ukraine, The Times, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Slovenia, Greece, Brazil, Norway, Netherlands, Dresden, East Germany, Soviet, West Germany

☆ Why a stalled Ukrainian offensive could represent a huge political problem for Zelensky in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And even if Trump is not the GOP nominee in 2024, ebbing public support for the war could hurt Biden. Therefore, for political, as well as strategic reasons, there is huge pressure on Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive this summer to produce significant battlefield breakthroughs. Any suggestion that Ukraine’s offensive has been bogged down will deepen that skepticism over a prolonged US commitment. Soon after the Russian invasion in February 2022, 62% said the US should do more to support Ukraine. The political dynamics in the House represent a rather precarious foundation for Ukraine’s vital US support, underscoring why a stalled offensive could represent a political disaster for Zelensky in the United States as well as a strategic loss for Ukraine at home.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Putin, Trump, Biden, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, bleakly, Ukraine’s, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, ” It’s, Mark Hertling, ” Hertling, darkens, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Kevin McCarthy, John Kirby, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, He’s, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence –, there’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Senior, Ukraine, Army, Republican, Democratic, Trump Republicans, National Security, New, New Jersey Gov, South Carolina Gov Locations: US, Ukraine, Moscow, United States, NATO, Russia, Kyiv, Washington, Boston, Saudi Arabia, Crimea, George H.W ., Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey

☆ Ukrainian tanks are being wiped out by Russian minefields. The country needs its own 'Manhattan Project' to figure out how to clear them, a retired general told the NYT.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Ukrainian military might need to create its own solutions, a retired army general told the Times. Ukraine uses the US-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) systems, which Zaluzhny told the Post "are also being destroyed," per the Post. "Ukraine needs a Manhattan Project for mine clearing," Ryan told the Times, referring to the US project to build the world's first atomic bomb during World War 2. Beyond the minefields, the two-month offensive to take back territories claimed by Russia has become a significant challenge for Ukrainian troops dealing with heavily fortified defenses from their opponents. At the same time, Ukrainian troops waited for weapons from the West.

Persons: Valery Zaluzhny, Mick Ryan, Zaluzhny, Ryan, George Barros, Insider's Chris Panella Organizations: Times, Service, The New York Times, Washington Post, Lowy Institute, Russian, Project, Institute for, Ukraine Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Western, Australian, Russia

☆ West African bloc sends mission to Niger to negotiate with coup leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened to authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. "There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite," he told reporters, as regional defence chiefs started a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar, Christopher Musa, Abdourahmane Tiani, Bazoum, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Charles, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Abuja Junta, Islamists, African, ECOWAS, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, British, European Union, Reuters, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Abuja, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Nigerian, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigeria's, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ Florida’s New Black History Standards Have Drawn Backlash. Who Wrote Them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sarah Mervosh | More About Sarah Mervosh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Wright and six other members who were serving this spring while the standards were being written said they had not been consulted. Few details have been publicly released about how the standards, which lay out concepts that students are expected to learn, were created. Even Mr. DeSantis, who has often embraced his role as a warrior against “woke” ideology in schools, sought to distance himself amid a faltering 2024 presidential campaign. “I wasn’t involved in it,” he told reporters last week. To craft the 216-page document, his Department of Education created a 13-member work group, which drafted the standards from February to May.

Persons: Wright, ” “, ”, Brenda Walker, DeSantis, “, Frances Presley Rice, William Allen, Ronald Reagan Organizations: University of South, of Education, National Black Republican Association, Michigan State, United States Commission, Civil Locations: University of South Florida

REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday voided a 2017 court-martial conviction against Bowe Bergdahl, an Army sergeant who walked off his post in 2009 only to be captured by the Taliban and spend five years as their prisoner. Reggie Walton, a U.S. district judge, said the military judge who presided over Bergdahl's court martial proceedings failed to disclose his application at the time to become a federal immigration judge. That could create the appearance of potential bias, given then-President Donald Trump's denunciations of Bergdahl, Walton ruled. "This case presents a unique situation where the military judge might be inclined to appeal to the president's expressed interest in the plaintiff's conviction and punishment when applying for the immigration judge position," Walton wrote. The military judge who handed down Bergdahl's conviction, Jeffrey Nance, could not be reached for comment.

Persons: U.S . Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, Jonathan Drake, Bowe Bergdahl, vacates, Reggie Walton, Donald Trump's, Walton, Jeffrey Nance, Geoffrey Corn, Corn, Bergdahl, Nance, Trump, Phil Stewart, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . Army, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Army, Texas Tech University School of Law, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Fort Bragg , North Carolina, U.S, United States

☆ OpenAI executive says the company hasn't 'made GPT-4 dumber,' after Insider reported users complaining about degraded performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GPT-4 users have been complaining about worse performance, Insider reported earlier this week. Several users of OpenAI's GPT-4 have been complaining for weeks that the AI model is performing worse, with some calling the system "lazier" and "dumber." Another user pointed to a recent post from Nihit Desai, a startup co-founder, who reported that performance degraded for data labeling tasks. Yet another user on Twitter pointed to OpenAI's own developer forums, where many GPT-4 users have vented frustrations and posted examples of worse performance. Many hours before publication, Insider asked OpenAI for comment on all this, and the company didn't respond.

Persons: Peter Welinder, OpenAI's, Ethan Harris, Nihit Desai, OpenAI Organizations: Twitter, Army

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