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☆ How a dysfunctional mission in the Caribbean became 'the pivotal point' for the creation of US Special Operations Command
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Those problems helped spur the creation of US Special Operations Command several years later. According to Maj. Gen. Richard Scholtes, the first commander of Joint Special Operations Command, US military officers involved in the planning soon butted heads. A task force of Delta Force operators, Rangers, and helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment also attacked Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison. Bettmann/Getty Images"The Pentagon was waging a frontal and rear assault in opposition to the creation of a special operations command," William Cohen said in the mid-2000s, according to Kukielski's article. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Persons: —, Peter Carrette, Eagle, JSOC, Reagan, Richard Scholtes, butted, jean, Louis Atlan, Scholtes, Philip Kukielski, frogmen, Fort, Paul Scoon, Bettmann, Formally, William Cohen, Cohen, Nunn, Eric BOUVET, SOCOM, Chance, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Operations Command, Service, Fury, Pentagon, Delta Force, Soviet Union, Getty, US Atlantic Command, Atlantic Command, US Marine Corps, CIA, State Department, Team, Air Commando, US Defense, Rangers, 2nd Ranger, Porto Salines, Marines, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Radio Free, US, Dover Air Force Base, Special Warfare, Craft, 160th, American, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Grenada, Caribbean, Tehran, Cuba, Soviet, Richmond, Porto, Fort Rupert, Rupert, Radio Free Grenada, Grenada's, Point Salinas, Scholtes, Beirut, Grenada —, Persian, Johns

☆ Is lab-grown meat kosher or halal? Can religious vegetarians eat it? It’s complicated
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But first, the practical perspective: Neither company has yet had its US-approved cultivated chicken product certified as halal or kosher. Religious and ethical vegetariansBecause cell-cultured meat is developed from animal cells, it’s not considered vegetarian by Upside Foods or Good Meat. But people who don’t eat meat for animal welfare or environmental reasons may want to give cultivated meat a try. In this case, the question of whether cultivated meat is considered meat, from a religious perspective, is significant. For cultivated meat to be considered kosher, it “would require that it came from a kosher slaughtered animal.” Chicken that is grown from cells taken from a kosher, unfertilized egg would be considered kosher, he said.

Persons: it’s, Mat McDermott, ”, McDermott, Hare Krishnas, Lord Krishna, Anuttama Dasa, Mohammad Hussaini, Hussaini, kashrut, Menachem Genack, ” Genack, David Lau, Didier Toubia, Toubia, “, There’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, USDA, Inc, Foods, Hindu American Foundation, ISKCON, International Society, Krishna, American Halal Foundation, OU, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Israel, Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia

☆ When Will Gas Prices Go Down?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Gas price outlook for 2023When you venture out during the summer travel season, expect gas prices to remain steady through September—mostly due to overseas economic pressures. “When per-barrel prices go up, gas prices go up. By that time, the EIA estimates gas prices will drop to roughly $3.09 per gallon—a near-50-cent price break from today’s prices. Other factors affecting gas pricesWhile supply and demand are the leading factors that dictate oil and gas prices, they aren’t the only players. The Google Maps app also has a gas pump icon under the main search bar that will highlight local gas prices.

Persons: ”, Stuart Katz, Robertson Stephens, “, we’ve, John LaForge, Barack Obama, Biden, Katz, — you’ll Organizations: U.S . Energy Information Administration, Organization of, Petroleum, Energy, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Bush, Hurricane, International Energy Agency, Treasury Department, State Tax Gas, of, PayPal, Google, Gas, Shell, Exxon, Mobil, Consumer, Lexus, Ford, University of California Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, Wells Fargo, Persian, West Coast, California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Washington, Hawaii, Illinois, Alaska, New Jersey, Connecticut, Los Angeles

Hypersonic missiles are those that can travel at a speed beyond Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Iran unveils its first hypersonic missile 06:13 - Source: CNNIsrael’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quick to dismiss the potential threat posed to his country. Uzi Rubin, founder and former director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization at the Israeli defense ministry has no reason to believe the missile is not real and functional. Has Iran made it to the A-list among countries that can produce hypersonic missiles? Israel has several missile defense systems.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN — It’s, ”, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Yoav Gallant, ” Iran’s, Uzi Rubin, it’s, Alex Vatanka, Iran’s, John Krzyzaniak, ’, “, Rubin, Israel doesn’t, we’d Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Aerospace, CNN Israel’s, Israel Missile Defense Organization, CNN, Iran, ”, Middle East Institute, Wisconsin, Control, ISIS, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Area Defense, UAE, Patriots, Iran’s Locations: Abu Dhabi, Jerusalem, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Washington ,, United States, Washington , DC, Syria, Iraq, Kurdish, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ukraine, Yemen, Gulf, Islamic Republic, Persian

☆ Why Iran keeps seizing oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Brad Howard | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Over the last decade, Iran has been causing more and more headaches for oil tanker operators in the Strait of Hormuz, a central artery of global trade. In the last two years alone, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with 15 internationally flagged merchant vessels. This critical waterway separates the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea, which makes it an important conduit for millions of barrels of oil that flow through the region. In response to Iranian ship seizures, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for security in the region, announced an increase in patrols. That included the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton transiting the strait in late May.

Persons: Trump, Arona Baigal, Paul Hamilton, Victoria Coates Organizations: Middle East Security, Center, New, Navy's, Heritage Foundation, U.S Locations: Iran, Strait, Hormuz, New American, Iranian, U.S

☆ As Iran Seizes Tankers in Gulf, U.A.E. Pulls Back From U.S.-Led Maritime Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had stopped participating in a maritime security force led by the United States, the latest hint of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain that America has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats. The unusual public statement came after Iran seized two commercial tankers in waterways near the Emirates in quick succession over the past two months. Emirati and Saudi officials have repeatedly expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Iran. “They were unhappy with the Americans, and when the U.A.E. is not happy, they are very decisive,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist.

Persons: ”, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Emirates, Emirati Foreign Ministry, Combined Maritime Forces, Saudi Locations: United States, Washington, America, Iran, Persian

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: iran

☆ Persian Gulf States Boom With Billionaires, Beyoncé and Bling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Rory Jones | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Here is a look at the F-16, why Ukraine wants it and why the Biden administration is hesitant to supply it. It has flown in American conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, the Persian Gulf and on homeland defense missions in U.S. airspace. There are approximately 3,000 currently in active military service worldwide, including hundreds in the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Without modern fighter jets, “no air defense system will be perfect,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders gathered at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, this week. He also said it would be unlikely for Britain, with its “special relationship” with America, to push ahead with trying to provide F-16s if the Biden administration was not at least somewhat on board.

☆ What Is the F-16 Fighter Jet and Why Does Ukraine Want It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

British and Dutch plans to help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets have put the United States and some of its closest European allies at odds — yet again — over what weapons the West should send Kyiv to defend against Russia’s invasion. Even if the Biden administration overcomes its long-held reluctance to give Ukraine the American-made planes, the F-16 would not be used in combat for months at the earliest, officials and military analysts say. Here is a look at the F-16, why Ukraine wants it and why the Biden administration is hesitant to supply it. First flown in 1976, the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” is a supersonic fighter jet used by militaries in 25 countries for air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes. It has flown in American conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, the Persian Gulf and on homeland defense missions in U.S. airspace.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Free Apple AirTags, EV resistance, and ChatGPT Plus for all
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I attended my first rodeo, woke up early for a farmers' market, visited different pickleball venues, and tried other new things. Researchers examined 1,600 conversations (850 hours and 7 million words total) and measured how people reacted to the interactions. Firstly, IRL conversations involve a degree of back-and-forth that is hard to replicate digitally because of lag and missed cues. Elon Musk pays $10,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit. Elon Musk has cut around 90% of the company within half a year of taking over.

☆ For only the second time in its history, the US Navy is beginning the slow, tricky process of taking apart a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In April, the Navy published a notice announcing the beginning of planning to scrap the USS Nimitz. But Nimitz will be only the second nuclear-powered carrier to go through deactivation and defueling. The Nimitz would only be the second American nuclear-powered carrier scheduled to be scrapped. The first is the USS Enterprise, which was commissioned in 1961 and was also the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. The private shipyard will probably be in Alabama, Texas, or Virginia, according to a draft environmental impact statement posted on a special Navy carrier disposal website.

☆ Opinion: How Putin’s ‘cat’s paw’ sunk into Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

International sanctions complicated Russia’s finances, so the Kremlin used the Wagner Group to get its hands on Sudan’s gold mines. It wasn’t the first time Wagner, Putin’s cat’s paw, had moved deep into mineral-rich Africa. It wanted one on the Mediterranean, which was one of the reasons it intervened – with a strong Wagner Group presence – in the Syrian civil war. But his credibility is in tatters (asked about Wagner’s massacres in Mali a few years ago, he answered “the Wagner Group does not exist”). And all for the sake of two men’s quest for power, aided by the machinations of the Kremlin and the maneuvers of its Wagner Group.

☆ Inside Qatar’s ‘city of the future’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Like others, it has moved from the capital Doha to this, Qatar’s newest city – 10 miles north. Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty ImagesLusail claims to be Qatar’s first sustainable city – no easy task for a newbuild in the desert. There’s an extensive choice from food trucks at the Lusail Marina Food Arena, abundant cafes, and fine dining restaurants.”A sprawling city of the futureThe Marina area is fast proving a hit for residents. Al Tara – the district, by Al Maha Island, where Warner lives – is home to the Lusail Marina. There is a rumor – as yet unsubstantiated – that Lusail might eventually become Qatar’s capital city.

☆ Saadiyat: The 'island of happiness' just off Abu Dhabi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoWhile Abu Dhabi itself is home to bombastic contemporary architecture, Saadiyat – an easy 20-minute drive from downtown and Abu Dhabi International Airport – is a natural wonderland, edged by small sand dunes. Elevated boardwalks protect them from beachgoers – part of a conservation project led by Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort and its inhouse marine biologist. Department of Culture and Tourism Abu DhabiOpen year-round, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is home to a Gary Player signature 18-hole golf course. Luc Castel/Getty ImagesInaugurated in 2017, The Louvre Abu Dhabi is France’s largest cultural project abroad. Louvre Abu Dhabi isn’t the only highbrow place on Saadiyat – behind the dunes there are two world-class educational institutions, too.

☆ China is succeeding in the Middle East because it learned from watching the US fail there for 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Natalie Armbruster | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Conversely, China is clear-eyed about its interests in the Middle East and, more importantly, their limits. In fact, most of China's Belt and Road Initiative investments in the Middle East hinge on ensuring free trade in the Middle East and a steady energy supply, not security. As international scrutiny builds surrounding the Uyghur crisis, China is particularly keen on finding partners in the Middle East who will exchange silence for investment. With Saudi Arabia, which has its own skeletons in its closet, such a trade is tempting. Instead of resorting to undue threat inflation, the United States may benefit from a corrective course on its history in the Middle East thus far.

☆ Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. Scoop Up Russian Oil Products at Steep Discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Summer Said | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As Russia scours the globe for buyers of its energy products, it is finding eager trade partners in an unlikely place: The oil-rich petrostates of the Persian Gulf. Since Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine cut off Russia from many of its established trading partners, state companies from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have stepped in to take advantage of discounted prices for Russian products, according to oil executives and industry analysts.

☆ Major drug busts suggest Russia is becoming a hub for cocaine heading to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Yago Rosado | Insight Crime | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bust follows another in St. Petersburg last month and other major seizures in recent years. Police operations indicate that Ecuador is, so far, the main source country for cocaine arriving to Russia by container ship. InSight Crime analysisThe Oktyabrskaya Hotel across from the Moskovsky railway station in St. Petersburg in May 2020. St. Petersburg is the only major maritime port of entry for cocaine into the country, she added. Erdinc said that Russia played a "significant" role as a transit country for cocaine that arrives to Turkey and is then moved to other European markets.

☆ Going to war? Good news! The United States is 13 years behind in ammunition production.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since production capacity changed after the Cold War, the US can no longer keep up with wartime demands. In fulfilling those promises, The New York Times reported the US has sent Ukraine so many stockpiled Stinger missiles that it would take 13 years of production at recent capacity levels to replace them. US officials in January proposed a production increase up to 90,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition each month to keep up with demand. The United States has rarely seen production shortages in ammunition and missiles to the degree the country currently faces. While improvements to production facilities have been budgeted for going forward, the US is currently pushing suppliers to capacity to meet current wartime demands in Ukraine and keep pace with China's production.

DUBAI—Riding an oil-price boom last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed government-backed Saudi National Bank to make a $1.5 billion investment in Credit Suisse Group AG that his financial advisers harbored doubts about, according to people familiar with the matter. Now, the Saudi investment is almost wiped out after Credit Suisse’s emergency merger with UBS Group AG. Credit Suisse’s meltdown also erased billions of dollars in investments made by Qatar’s sovereign fund and the Saudi-based Olayan family, making the Persian Gulf one of the biggest losers from a slide in financial stocks since the collapse of two U.S. banks last week.

☆ Conservatives scoff at Trump's 'leftist plan' to build 10 new American cities featuring flying cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump recently announced a plan to build up to 10 new American cities on federal land. But some right-wing critics have attacked it as a "leftist plan" to create walkable "15-minute cities." Fox News left its in-house comedian, Greg Gutfeld, to handle the coverage of Freedom Cities. A conservative member of the UK parliament recently called 15-minute cities an "international socialist concept" that "would take away your personal freedoms." But Freedom Cities don't sound like 15-minute cities at all.

☆ A decorated former US F-16 pilot says he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine: 'You can count on me,' he told a VoA interview.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A decorated former US Air Force pilot said he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine if necessary. Retired Lt. Col. Dan "Two Dogs" Hampton discussed the potential of the US F-16 in the war over Ukraine. "I'll even go myself, you can count on me," the retired lieutenant colonel told a VoA interview. The highly decorated pilot, known as "Two Dogs," spent 20 years in the Air Force, fought in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Iraq wars, and is a New York Times bestselling author for his memoirs from his time in the military. Meanwhile, a US Air Force official said that fighter jets were "worthless" over Ukraine earlier this week because both sides of the conflict have mastered long-range missile defense, Insider previously reported.

For Saudi Arabia, a deal could mean improved security. Saudi Arabia, Washington's most important Arab ally, began exploring ways to open a dialogue with the Islamic Republic two years ago in Iraq and Oman, said a Saudi official. In a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president expressed his desire to broker dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran. CHINESE MEDIATION 'BEST OPTION'An Iranian official said the deal covered a range of issues, from security concerns to economic and political issues. "China was the best option considering Iran's lack of trust towards Washington and Beijing's friendly ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

☆ The China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal has big repercussions for the Middle East — and the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Taking up a specific role that the U.S. could not have fulfilled, this was Beijing's first foray into Middle East mediation, an area that for the past few decades was largely occupied by Washington. "I think China was a good partner to do this. I think they're the right people," he said, noting that China invests heavily in Saudi Arabia and is its top trading partner. Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. And not just economically, as it already exports an immense amount of goods to the Middle East and is the largest importer of Saudi oil – but politically.

☆ Saudi Crown Prince Test Drives Nonaligned Foreign Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Summer Said | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman whose decision making has been criticized in the past as erratic. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Flush with cash from an oil boom, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is making foreign-policy and business moves that test whether it is possible not to take sides in the rivalries between the U.S. and Russia and China. Last week’s China-brokered agreement to renew diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia’s rival Iran demonstrated a shrewd pragmatism from the 37-year-old de facto ruler, whose decision making has been criticized in the past as erratic. The deal would cool tensions across the Persian Gulf and bring Saudi Arabia closer to its biggest trading partner, China, without alienating its top security partner in Washington, where officials said they saw the detente as positive.

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