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☆ Lebanon: More explosions one day after blasts injure thousands, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Rob Picheta | Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Dozens of walkie talkies exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday, a security source told CNN, one day after blasts targeting the pagers of Hezbollah members injured thousands. Preliminary information suggested that there were between 15 and 20 explosions in southern suburbs of Beirut, and a further 15 to 20 blasts in southern Lebanon, the source said. At least three people were killed in Sahmar in Rashaya and Western Bekaa in southern Lebanon, state media outlet NNA reported. Hassan Hankir/ReutersThe latest blasts come almost exactly 24 hours after the near-simultaneous explosions targeting pagers of the militant group Hezbollah, exposing a massive security breach among its members. Hezbollah on Tuesday vowed to respond to what it called an Israeli attack, which killed multiple people and injured thousands across Lebanon on Tuesday.

Persons: “, Hassan Hankir, Firass Abiad, … Organizations: CNN, Army Command, Lebanese Army, Lebanese Health Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Sahmar, Rashaya, Sidon, Gaza

☆ Hezbollah’s credibility depends on revenge against Israel. But its weakness has been exposed
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In May 2000, the group managed to drive Israel out of southern Lebanon after a grueling guerilla conflict. On the evening of July 30, an Israeli drone fired two missiles into a residential building in southern Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr. Taken together, the missile attack and the exploding devices represent a dramatic infiltration by Israel of Hezbollah’s critical command and control networks. Israel denied any important targets were struck and no evidence has been made public to contradict that denial. Israel is no longer willing to tolerate the slow-burn war on its northern border and is resorting to ever more extreme and potentially escalatory measures.

Persons: Lebanon CNN —, Assad, Fu’ad Shukr, Shukr’s, Hassan Nasrallah, ” Organizations: Lebanon CNN, Hezbollah, CNN Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Iranian, Syria, Iran, Russia, Lebanese, Israeli, pagers, Gaza

☆ Ukraine isn't flying the most dangerous missions with its F-16s because the pilots are still new to the fighter, US general says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA top US Air Force general said that Ukraine is not using its F-16s for the most dangerous missions because the pilots flying them are still new to the fighter jet. Given the vulnerabilities of more offensive missions, it was thought that Kyiv would use the fighter jets in an air-defense role. Before Ukraine received its long-sought-after F-16s from NATO, one of the big questions surrounding the much-hyped transfer of the fighter aircraft was how Kyiv would actually go on to use them in combat. AdvertisementThe Ukrainian F-16s flew their first combat mission in late August as they helped defend the country against a massive Russian aerial bombardment. It's still unclear what caused the crash, but Ukraine dismissed the commander of its air force and said it would investigate the incident.

Persons: —, James Hecker, haven't, they're, " Hecker, that's, Ogirenko, Oleksandr Syrskyi, It's Organizations: Service, US Air Force, Business, US Air Forces, NATO Allied Air Command, Tuesday's Air & Space Forces Association's Air, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Ukraine, NATO, REUTERS, Former US Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Europe, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ China and Russia are ramping up joint military drills. What’s their end goal?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

China sent several warships and 15 aircraft to waters off Russia’s Far East coast for Ocean-2024, according to the Russian military. The latest Russia-China military drills fit a pattern of more than a decade of enhanced military coordination between the two countries, experts say. The joint drills also raise questions about whether the two nuclear-armed powers, which are not treaty allies, could act together in any potential future conflict. Russian military sailors attend the opening ceremony for a joint naval exercise in the South China Sea in July. But observers say that despite the growing coordination within joint drills, it’s unlikely there is a clear end goal past sending a strong signal – at least for now.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Bobylev, Xi, ’, “ They’re, ”, Alexander Korolev, Washington’s, Carl Schuster, Korolev, it’s “, Elizabeth Wishnick, “, Russia –, James Char, Schuster Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kremlin, Canadian, Putin, NATO, Sputnik, Reuters, Soviet, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CNN, Russian, CSIS, University of New, US Navy, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Russian Defense Ministry, Beijing, South China, Pacific Security Affairs Division, CNA, India, Nanyang Technological University’s Institute of Defense, Strategic Studies, China, Navy Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, East, Ocean, Russian, Japan, Alaska –, South China, Beijing, Washington, Taiwan, Soviet Union, Communist China, Alaska, Pacific, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Asia, Germany, Philippines, South, Iran, lockstep, Nanyang, Singapore

☆ US spy plane flies through the Taiwan Strait days after German warships angered China by sailing through
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA US spy plane flew above the Taiwan Strait in international airspace, prompting a response from China. China's military reported that the American P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft's activity over the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. Advertisement"The aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. China previously documented P-8A activity in the Taiwan Strait in April of this year, as well as December and October of last year. TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty ImagesThe event comes on the heels of German Navy vessels transiting the Taiwan Strait last week for the first time in over 20 years.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Command, Business, US, 7th Fleet, United, Eastern Theater Command, Navy, TED, Getty, Foreign Ministry, US Navy, Royal Australian Air Force Locations: Taiwan Strait, China, Taiwan, United States, Philippines, AFP, Hawaii

☆ Analysis: Ryan Routh’s support for Ukraine is a propaganda win for Moscow, at a very tricky time for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Someone like Routh was quite easy to meet in Ukraine in the opening months of Russia’s full-scale war in 2022. But already, Moscow’s prolific echo chambers have begun to fashion a narrative in which US support for Ukraine is somehow extremist. People stand near the sports complex of a university after Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on September 2. The clamor of support for Ukraine to receive US permission to fire longer-range US-supplied missiles at targets deeper inside Russian territory had been growing. The sudden insertion of a wayward extremist like Routh is a loud, confusing wild card, at a time when support for Ukraine urgently needed a calm and balanced voice.

Persons: Ryan Wesley Routh, Donald Trump, Routh, Oleksandr Shaguri, “, ” Routh, Dmitri Peskov, ”, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ’, Putin, –, Maxym, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Joe Biden Organizations: London CNN, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, New York Times, Foreigners, Department, Land Forces Command, CNN, Global Citizen –, Reuters, Russian, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Pakistan, Iran, Global Citizen – Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, Florida, America, United States, Russian

☆ A secretive Russian submarine unit could sabotage the subsea network of cables that powers the internet
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewRussia's threat to the subsea cables the West relies on for the internet is growing more acute amid surveillance from a specialist undersea sabotage unit, a NATO official said. "Allies have long warned of the risk that Russian spy ships and sabotage vessels patrolling subsea cable routes could pose to critical underwater infrastructure." Known by its Russian acronym, GUGI, the unit's goal is to surveil and possibly destroy the undersea cables the West relies on for the internet. But as the world has become more dependent on internet data, the potential for disruption caused by sabotage has become greater. Sybille Reuter via Getty imagesThere is already evidence that Russian units may have tampered with undersea cables, with experts saying that Russian units likely played a role in the disappearance of miles of the cables near Lofoten off the coast of Norway in 2021.

Persons: —, Dmitry Medvedev, Sidharth, GUGI, Kaushal, Sybille Reuter, Mark Cancian Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Russia's General Staff, Directorate, Allies, CNN, General Staff, Research, Pentagon, Russia, Russian Ministry of Defense, Getty, CSIS, Atlantic Council Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, North America, Lofoten, Norway, NATO, Washington ,

☆ Houston-area pipeline fire prompts evacuations, shelter-in-place orders for thousands
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly 1,000 homes and businesses were covered by evacuation orders in La Porte, according to the city's statement. Additionally, the La Porte Independent School District said shelter-in-place orders were in place at multiple campuses in the district. A pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns near La Porte, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2024. Deer Park said in its own statement that a Walmart location and an H-E-B grocery store were also covered by shelter-in-place orders. Multiple reunification sites in Deer Park and La Porte, including an activity center and a church, have been made available to evacuees.

Persons: La Porte, Lekan, I’ll, Jerry Mouton Jr, Mouton Organizations: La Porte Independent School District, Energy, San Jacinto, Facebook, Emergency, Control, Deer Park Locations: Houston, Deer Park, Pasadena, La, La Porte, La Porte , Texas, Deer, Porte, Harris

UVALDE, Texas — Relatives and friends of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting shouted “Coward! Gonzales and former school district police chief Pete Arredondo had been in the courtroom a few minutes earlier for the hearing. A Justice Department report said it was possible some children might have been saved had officers gone into the classroom earlier. Gonzales’ attorney had stopped to talk to the media. Gonzales’ attorney told reporters that investigative reports on the shooting by the Justice Department and the Texas House did not suggest prosecuting his client.

Persons: “ Coward, Coward, ”, Adrian Gonzales, Gonzales, Pete Arredondo, Gonzales ’, Brett Cross, Uziyah Garcia, Arredondo, Cross, “, Uziyah, Cazares, Jesse Rizo, Rizo, ” Rizo, Torres ’, Ruben Torres, Christina Mitchell, Mitchell Organizations: Justice Department, Texas House, NBC News, Border Patrol, Judicial, Protection Locations: UVALDE, Texas, Uvalde’s, Arredondo

☆ US military completes withdrawal from Niger
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US military completed its withdrawal from Niger on Sunday, US Africa Command announced in a news release. The US had previously said that the withdrawal would be complete by September 15. The withdrawal comes months after Niger’s military government — which took power in a coup in 2023 — ended an agreement signed with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in Niger. A Niger military spokesman said in March that the agreement “is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people.”The announcement was made just days after a US delegation visited Niger in March. Those concerns were only furthered when, weeks after Niger announced the end of its military agreement with the US, Russian forces were operating out of the same military base as US troops in the country.

Persons: Sabrina Singh, ” AFRICOM, ”, —, Major Amadou Abdramane, Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, “, ” Abdramane, Singh, Russia “, ” Langley, Chris Maier Organizations: CNN, Africa Command, Air Base, US, Pentagon, U.S . Africa, Department of Defense, US Special Forces, ” CNN, US Africa Command, American, Russian Federation, Niger, Islamic State, US Department of Defense, Nigerien Ministry of National Defense Locations: Niger, Niamey, Agadez, U.S, Nigerien, Russia, Africa, Russian, al Qaeda

☆ Covering aircraft with tires the way Russia has can confuse weapons looking for the plane, US military official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewCovering aircraft with tires, as Russia has done during the Ukraine war, can confuse weapons that are looking for the plane, a US military official said recently. Multiple Russian military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, were spotted last year with tires placed on top of them. While some observers suggested they might be meant to confuse image-matching weapons, others said they might be intended as shields. Russia has turned to several different deceptive practices during the war beyond placing tires on its aircraft. And Russia and Ukraine have both relied on decoy military equipment, such as inflatable tanks, wooden rocket launchers, and fake radar reflectors, among other weapons.

Persons: —, Schuyler Moore, " Moore, Brace, Moore's, Moore Organizations: Service, Business, US Central Command, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russia, Kyiv, Russian Air Force, CSIS Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow

☆ Russia is furious over reports that a commander sent his best drone operators to die as infantrymen because they criticized him
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe deaths of two seasoned Russian drone operators in Ukraine have stirred a frenzy among pro-Kremlin military bloggers, who say the specialists were sent to fight as regular infantrymen. As for Gritsai, Russian military bloggers who claimed to personally know him reported that he was a career officer. AdvertisementRussian backlash and an official responseThe footage sparked an outcry over the weekend among Russian military bloggers, many of whom independently reported that the two men had been killed in battle. Part of the backlash stems from assessments by on-the-ground pundits that Lysakovsky and Gritsai had been two of the best drone operators at the frontline. Nothing," Lysakovsky wrote in a message dated September 10.

Persons: —, Dmitry, Goodwin, Lysakovsky, Sergei, Ernest, Gritsai —, Gritsai, Igor Puzyk, Puzyk, WarTranslated, Dmitri, Alexander Kots, Viktor Goremykin, Valery Gerasimov, Svyatoslav Golikov Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Business, Russian Telegram, 87th Rifle Regiment, Donetsk People's, Kommersant, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Estonian, Donetsk People's Republic, Moscow

☆ Voyager 1 survives clogged thruster issue billions of miles away
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Engineers at NASA have successfully fired up a set of thrusters Voyager 1 hasn’t used in decades to solve an issue that could keep the 47-year-old spacecraft from communicating with Earth from billions of miles away. Currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1 is about 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away. Earlier this year, engineers spotted an issue when the fuel tube inside one of Voyager’s thrusters became clogged. Engineers switched again to the trajectory correction thruster set in 2018 when the second set also appeared clogged. Once the spacecraft has exhausted this thruster set, Voyager 1’s remaining option is the other already clogged set of attitude propulsion thrusters.

Persons: Calla, ”, It’s, Todd Barber, Suzanne Dodd, ” Barber Organizations: CNN — Engineers, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Caltech, Engineers Locations: Pasadena , California

☆ From Ukraine to Hawaii, associates of Trump assassination attempt suspect say his ‘delusion of grandeur’ and odd behavior left them questioning his mental state
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Isabelle Chapman | Casey Tolan | Curt Devine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

In one tweet, Routh wrote that “I would like to invite you to Hawaii for vacation. Newsweek Romania journalist Remus Cernea, one of the people listed on the website, told CNN he met Routh in Kyiv’s Maidan Square in June 2022. Tracy Fulk, a Greensboro police officer at the time, told CNN that the incident started when she pulled Routh over for a traffic stop. Audrey McAvoy/APA Hawaiian man who gave Routh’s company a bad review on Facebook told CNN he was unsettled by Routh’s response to the criticism. “We must push forward with logical leadership that supports the ones that wish to accomplish great things,” Routh wrote in one post.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, Joe Biden, “, Ukraine ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Routh, hadn’t, Biden, Zelensky, Ryan Routh's, Trump, Routh’s, –, ”, Tulsi Gabbard, Beto O’Rourke, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Yang, Joe, hillary, ” Routh, Kim Jong Un, ” Zelensky, Routh’s fiancée, Kathleen Shaffer, Shaffer, Efrem, Semafor, Oleksandr Shaguri, ” Michael Wasiura, ” Wasiura, ” Evelyn Aschenbrenner, Aschenbrenner, ” Aschenbrenner, Ryan O’Leary, ” O’Leary, Remus Cernea, Cernea, it’s, ” Cernea, barricading, Tracy Fulk, Fulk, ” Fulk, didn’t, ” Ryan Routh's, Audrey McAvoy, Saili Levi, Levi, you’re, ” Levi, Ryan Routh ”, Nelli Black, Benjamin Brown, Scott Glover, Lex Harvey, Winter, Rob Kuznia, Kyung Lah, Daniel Medina, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Rob Picheta, Puy Kamp, Sabrina Shulman, Teele Rebane, Adam Renton, Jessie Yeung Organizations: CNN, Twitter, Trump, Martin County Sheriff’s, Martin County Sheriff's, Facebook, Service, Republican, X, Machine, Commission, Democratic, North, “ WE, New York Times, Ukraine’s Land Forces Command, Legion, country’s International, Army National Guard, Global Citizen, Taiwan, Taiwan Foreign Legion, Newsweek Romania, Greensboro, Sheriff’s Office, Guilford County North Carolina Sheriff’s, Honolulu Star, Star, Advertiser, Honolulu, roosters Locations: Ukraine, Hawaii, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Honolulu, Oahu, Florida, Martin County, Russia, Zelensky, American, Kyiv’s, Kyiv, Taiwan, North Korea, China, Kyiv’s Maidan, North Carolina, Greensboro, Guilford, Guilford County North Carolina, Kaʻaʻawa, Oahu Island, Oran, Majlie

☆ The history of the US Secret Service
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The agency was commissioned within the Treasury Department, and the Secret Service was entirely focused on counterfeit money, a major problem of the day. Threatening presidents was not made a crime until 1917, the same year Congress approved Secret Service protection for the immediate family of a president. The Secret Service remained a part of the Treasury Department until 2003, when a massive government reorganization after the 9/11 terror attacks moved the Secret Service to the Department of Homeland Security. But the Secret Service is still tasked with fighting financial crimes. The entire Secret Service employs nearly 8,000 people for its protective and investigative missions, and it secures thousands of events each year.

Persons: Abraham Lincoln, Allan Pinkerton, Lincoln, Erik Larson, Pinkerton, Union Gen, George McClellan, McClellan, Lafayette Baker, John Frederick Parker, Parker, John Wilkes Booth, Baker, Booth, Grover Cleveland, — James Garfield, William McKinley, Leon Czolgosz, Theodore Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Robert F, Kennedy, Trump’s reemergence, Trump, CNN’s Stephen Collinson, Kamala Harris, walling, Ryan Wesley Routh, Sen, JD Vance, Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Kimberly Cheatle Organizations: CNN, Union, of Congress, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, Ford’s Theatre, United States Secret Service, Service, Treasury Department, Congress, White, California Democratic, Department of Homeland Security, Trump, Republican, Secret Service, Republican Gov Locations: Baltimore, Lincoln, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, New York City, Pennsylvania, West Palm Beach , Florida, Alexandria, Virginia

Routh became animated when writing about Trump, and he frequently weighed in on US and global current events on social media. He even commented on the first assassination attempt on Trump, when the former president was wounded by a gunshot during a rally in Pennsylvania in July. According to Cernea, Routh described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “black and white… good versus evil” conflict. Hawaiian business owner Saili Levi told CNN he had paid Routh $3,800 up front to build a trailer for his business. Levi said when he asked Routh to improve the work via email, Routh ranted at him.

Persons: CNN — Ryan Wesley Routh, Donald Trump, Routh, Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, “, ”, ” Routh, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, “ Trump, Ryan Routh, ’, Oleksandr Shaguri, Remus Cernea, it’s, ” Cernea, Cernea, Vladimir Putin’s, “ Putin, ” Oran, Saili Levi, Levi, Routh ranted, you’re, ” Levi Organizations: CNN, US Secret Service, LinkedIn, Honolulu Star, Democratic, Trump, Global Citizen, Independence, Ukraine, Foreigners, Department, Land Forces Command, Legion, Newsweek Romania, AFP, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Taiwan, North Korea, Kyiv, Hawaii, Honolulu, North Carolina, Afghanistan, Iran, Tehran, Moscow, Pennsylvania, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Kyiv’s, United States, Oran, Florida

☆ German warships visit the Philippines amid its South China Sea clashes after angering Beijing by sailing through the Taiwan Strait
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tensions are high in the South China Sea, as China continues its aggressive tactics against Philippine vessels. JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty ImagesClashes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have been escalating for months as China unjustly claims sovereignty over a majority of the South China Sea, defying international law while increasing efforts to assert its authority in the area. While traveling to Manila, the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfurt am Main transited the Taiwan Strait, sparking backlash from China. The German warships transited the Taiwan Strait last week for the first time in 20 years. "International waters are international waters," he said .

Persons: —, Per Andreas Pfaffernoschke, Pfaffernoschke, Mao Ning, German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius, Mao Organizations: Service, Business, Baden, Philippine, ROSA, Getty, Ministry of Foreign, German Defense Ministry, Command Locations: Philippines, Taiwan Strait, Germany, China, South China, Berlin, Frankfurt, Manila, AFP, Beijing, Baden, Württemberg, Taiwan, Main

☆ A Fed rate cut may lend a helping hand to Chinese stocks. Or not.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

By extension, the move in Washington, D.C. could also spell good news for Chinese stocks. High U.S. interest rates relative to China have made it fairly straightforward for global institutions to pick U.S. Treasurys over Chinese stocks. More than lower rates needed Other global investors say Chinese stocks need more than easier monetary policy to become truly attractive. The "government can push interest rates down, but if households don't want to spend the extra income, it won't go into the economy," he said. Earlier this year, People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng acknowledged U.S. Fed easing would create room for China to further cut interest rates.

Persons: Steven Sun, Laura Wang, Morgan Stanley, Aaron Costello, Yi Gang, Costello, James Wang, Wang, Pan Gongsheng Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, HSBC, HSBC Qianhai Securities, Nasdaq, U.S, Treasury, Cambridge Associates, CNBC, People's Bank of China, UBS Investment Bank Research, UBS, Hang Seng China Enterprises, China Southern Airlines, Hengli Petrochemical, Saudi, Aramco Locations: China's, Washington ,, China, 1H24, Asia, U.S, Beijing, Hang, Shenzhen, Shanghai

☆ Russian military aircraft detected off Alaskan coast for third time in past week, NORAD says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The North American Aerospace Defense command intercepted Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska three times over the last week in what appears to be an uptick in activity amid tensions between the US and Russia. The US and Canada, which make up NORAD, first intercepted a pair of Russian military aircraft on Wednesday. On Friday, a pair of TU-142s, Russian reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft, were detected by NORAD. One day later, the US and Canada intercepted two Russian IL-38 planes, another type of reconnaissance and anti-submarine military aircraft. The aircraft this past week did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said.

Persons: ADIZ “, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, ” Organizations: CNN, North American Aerospace Defense, Russian, NORAD, ” NORAD, Canada Locations: Alaska, Russia, Canada, China

China’s Risky Power Play in the South China SeaChina’s coast guard ships have swarmed and collided with Philippine boats. A New FlashpointFor months, the latest target of China’s power play was a Philippine coast guard ship, the Teresa Magbanua. Philippine coast guard Chinese ships Noon, June 17 A group of Chinese ships moved to block the Philippine vessel. SECOND THOMAS SHOAL SABINA SHOAL A Chinese ship began tailing a Philippine ship around 8 a.m. More Chinese ships waited here. 6 p.m. SECOND THOMAS SHOAL SABINA SHOAL The Chinese ships followed the Philippine ship.

Persons: Teresa Magbanua, Sabina, Thomas, ”, Jay Batongbacal, Sabina Shoal, Hu Bo, Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Mr, Hu, Marcos, Manlia, Jan, Thomas Shoal, “, Rommel Ong, Wu Yanan, Samuel Paparo, General, Lei Organizations: South China, Bank, University of the, Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Associated Press, Armed Forces, Facebook, Ateneo School of Government, Philippine Navy, Philippine, China Coast Guard, Reuters, THOMAS, SECOND, Strategic, International Studies, Pacific Command, Theater Command, United, Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Sciences, People’s Liberation Army Locations: South, Philippine, China, Philippines, United States, Chinese, Spratly, Scarborough Shoal, Vietnam, PHILIPPINES SPRATLY, Palawan, SPRATLY, PHILIPPINES Palawan, Sabina, Manila, Asia, University of the Philippines, South China, Beijing, Shoal, Palawan ., China’s, U.S, United

☆ How AI images of cats and ducks powered the pet-eating rumor mill
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The rumor mill about immigrants attacking household pets got its start in thinly sourced anecdotes shared at government meetings and on social media. Some of the images shared by social media users were openly prejudiced, showing Black people chasing after cats. These images and videos often create a more engaging and shareable post — regardless of whether they’re based in truth. There were cats holding military-style rifles to defend themselves, cats holding up political signs, cats and ducks sitting side-by-side, AI-generated humans holding cat-related signs and cats and ducks being cuddled by Trump. At least two of the widely viewed AI videos of Trump and animals were made using the software of Chinese AI startup MiniMax, according to watermarks on the videos.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk’s, Trump, Kamala Harris, A.J, Bauer, ”, ” Bauer, they’ve, Harris, ” Imran Ahmed, ” Ahmed, Jack Posobiec, Posobiec, Black, Jimmy Kimmel’s, Eric Swalwell, “, ” Trump, Alice Marwick, ” Marwick, we’ve, MiniMax Organizations: University of Alabama, Adobe, Local, Trump, Center, Judiciary, Republicans, Data & Society, Marwick, Consumers Locations: Springfield , Ohio

Crews battling three major California fires could get some relief from record heat and help from the weather as a cooldown preceded minor containment for the blazes. Hot, flame-fanning winds from the desert are dissipating, and the cooler temps may help firefighters give the blaze their best. Firefighters cut and extinguish a fire in a tree as the Bridge Fire burns in the Big Pines hills near Wrightwood, Calif., on Thursday. He also said mutual aid from Washington, Utah, and North Dakota, including firefighters, were sent to Southern California. The weather outlook should give firefighters the weekend and beyond to battle the three fires without unforgiving temperatures.

Persons: Crews, Craig Covey, ” Covey, Etienne Laurent, Anthony Marrone, Kristian Litz, Litz, Jeremy Pierce, Pierce, Justin Wayne Halstenberg, San Bernardino, Fabian Herrera, Gavin Newsom Organizations: California Department of Forestry, Rancho Santa Margarita, Orange County Sheriff's Department . Authorities, AFP, Getty, Angeles County Fire, The California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Firefighters, National Guard, National Weather Service Locations: California, Trabuco, Los Angeles, Rancho Santa, Orange, Riverside County, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Nowhere, Big Pines, Wrightwood, Calif, Angeles, Mount Baldy, Big, San Bernardino County, Highland, San, Washington , Utah, North Dakota, Southern California, San Diego, Los Angeles County

☆ Russia begins efforts to expel Ukraine from Kursk but counter-attack is yet to gain momentum
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Tim Lister | Kosta Gak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Geolocated video shows that Russian units have retaken a couple of villages, but the situation remains fluid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged the start of Russia’s counteoffensive and says it intends to deploy 60,000 – 70,000 troops in the Kursk region. An armed Ukrainian soldier stands on the street on September 10, 2024 in Sudzha, Kursk Region, Russia. There are also signs that Ukrainian units may be developing a new assault route into a different part of Kursk, near the town of Veseloe. War-displaced people spend time in a centre for displaced people in undisclosed location in Kursk region on August 29, 2024, following Ukraine's cross-border offensive into Russia's western Kursk region.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, counteoffensive, –, Major, Pat Ryder, Oleg Palchyk, Wagner, ”, Robert Rose, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, ” Zelensky, Tatyana Makeyeva, Fareed Zakaria, Russia’s, Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Rose, Matthew Schmidt, Schmidt Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, Defense, 51st Airborne Regiment, for, Russian, Getty, Modern, Institute, Washington DC, Biden Administration, NATO, Modern War Institute, University of New Haven, National Security, ” Locations: Kursk, Russia, Kursk “, Russian, Korenevo, Ukrainian, Sudzha, Kursk Region, Ukraine, Snahost, Veseloe, West, Donetsk, Pokrovsk, Kyiv, –, Washington, AFP, ” Kursk, Iraq

☆ Report finds ‘no evidence’ Hawaii officials prepared for Maui wildfire that killed 102 despite warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Honolulu (AP) — Investigators reviewing the emergency response to last year’s wildfire that killed 102 people on Maui said in a report released Friday they found “no evidence” Hawaii officials made preparations for it, despite days of warnings that critical fire weather was coming. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency didn’t immediately respond with comment. Maui fire commanders discussed the forecast, but “no evidence of pre-event preparedness plans by the MFD were produced,” the report said. Maui County and the state use private contractors to help fight fires with water tankers and heavy equipment. And despite the warnings, the heads of the county emergency management agency and the Maui Fire Department were off-island that day, attending conferences in Honolulu.

Persons: —, Anne Lopez, Maui’s, Richard Bissen, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency didn’t, weren’t, Firefighters, ” Derek Alkonis Organizations: — Investigators, National Weather Service, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police, Hawaiian Electric Co, Firefighters, Fire Safety Research Institute, Maui Police Department Locations: Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, State, Maui County, West Maui

☆ India has a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine. But can it catch up with China?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —India’s second nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine joined its naval fleet late last month, a move the government says strengthens its nuclear deterrent as New Delhi casts a wary eye at both China and Pakistan. The de facto border between India and China, known as the Line of Actual Control, has been a longtime flashpoint between the two. India’s next ballistic missile subs could be years away, however, if history is any predictor of the future. Arighaat was launched almost seven years ago, and if that timeline from launch to commissioning applies to the next Indian ballistic missile sub, it won’t join the service until 2030. A type 094 Jin-class nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy participates in a naval parade in 2019.

Persons: CNN —, Rajnath Singh, Janes, Arighaat, ”, Carl Schuster, Aksai, Matt Korda, ” Korda, won’t, SSBNs, Tom Shugart, ” Shugart, Jin, Kandlikar Venkatesh, Mark Schiefelbein, Venkatesh, It’s, Abhijit Singh, ” Singh, Korda, it’s, – Organizations: CNN, People’s Liberation Army, Indian Defense, India’s Eastern Naval Command, Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Troops, Naval, Nuclear, Federation of American Scientists, India’s, Center, New, New American Security, US, United Nations Security Council, US Navy’s, Navy, Global Times, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Getty, Observer Research, Hindustan Times, MIRV Locations: Delhi, China, Pakistan, India, Visakhapatnam, Bengal, United States, Bay, Aksai Chin, Beijing, New American, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Britain, Ohio, AFP, Mumbai, Islamabad, Kashmir, New Delhi

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