One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Armed Israeli settlers stormed the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, 5 November, in an effort to lay a hand on a piece of land following the signing of a murky deal between the Jerusalem Arminian Patriarchate and Xana Capital, owned by Jewish Australian investor Danny Rubenstein.

Rubenstein carries an Israeli passport and also goes by the name Danny Rothman.
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Sweden's exports of ball-bearings to Germany were vitally important, but were even overshadowed during the early years of the war when Sweden supplied Germany with 40 percent of its iron-ore before imports of iron ore from other European countries reduced this dependency.

Sweden declared its neutrality in September 1939. However, after the German occupation of Norway and Denmark in April 1940, Sweden was less well placed to resist German pressure to relax its neutral stance. In June 1940 Sweden signed a transit agreement with Germany allowing goods and troops to transit Sweden on their way from Norway to Finland. German soldiers on rotation to and from the war front made about 250,000 trips across Swedish territory, as late as August 1943. Moreover, the Swedish Navy escorted German convoys in the Baltic.

The Germans also increased their economic and financial ties to Sweden. When the war begun Germans had over 130 corporations, or groups of corporations in Sweden that were outright branches and subsidiaries of German firms. There were also firms that were believed to be financed by German corporations of German nationals. These included AEG, Krupp, the Siemens Group, I.G. Farben, and Telefunken Gesellschaft. In addition, there were over 170 Swedish corporations, or group of corporations, to varying degrees had an identity of interest with German corporations, such as patent and trademark agreements, "dummy" and "cloaking" activities, cartel agreements, contractual relationships, and direct representation of German firms, e.g., through Swedish sales agencies.

German influence was significant in Swedish industry, such as iron-ore and mining, coal import and distribution, machine and machine tool manufacture, forestry, chemical raw materials manufacture, shipping and shipbuilding, and steel. The Germans also had real estate investments in Sweden.

Germany's war effort depended significantly upon its imports of raw materials and goods from the neutral nations. Sweden's exports of ball-bearings to Germany were vitally important, but were even overshadowed during the early years of the war when Sweden supplied Germany with 40 percent of its iron-ore before imports of iron ore from other European countries reduced this dependency.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Major Australian port operator shuts down amid cyber security incident, impacting goods in and out of the country
In short: Goods coming in and out of Australia are at a stand still because a major port operator DP World has shut down land operations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle.
The federal government is helping respond to the incident.

DP World Australia, which operates ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle, is responsible for 40 per cent of maritime freight said it began responding to a cybersecurity incident on Friday.

While ships remain able to unload freight, the freight cannot then leave the port site.
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The number of Ukrainian asylum seekers in the EU continues to soar, reaching 4.2 million people registered in the bloc and eligible for various social benefits, officials said on Friday.

However, Russia has also emerged as a major destination for Ukrainian refugees. According to Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s permanent representative to the UN, since February 2022 several Russian regions have received more than five million people from Ukraine and Donbass.

Shortly after the start of the conflict, the EU invoked the Temporary Protection Directive which grants Ukrainian citizens the right to free or subsidized housing, medical care, employment, and education on the bloc’s territory.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The Swede supplied Hitler with coal throughout WW2, today they are supporting Bidens lies who is attacking and trying to annex part of Russia

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

An Israeli minister said on Sunday that using a nuclear weapon on Gaza is "an option" in Tel Aviv’s ongoing war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Amichai Eliyahu belongs to the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and has been the Minister for Heritage in the Israeli government since 2022.
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Nine people were killed in US warplanes strikes on an Iran-linked weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday in response to attacks against American personnel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

It is the second time in roughly two weeks that the United States has targeted a location in Syria it said was tied to Iran, which supports an array of armed groups that Washington blames for a spike in attacks on its forces in the Middle East.
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After four years, the Chinese mega-mart in Jordan - Dragon Mall - has closed its doors. The 160 orientally-decorated stores and office spaces could not attract the business once hoped for the $20-million-worth project - built to serve as a reflection of China’s investments in Jordan.

Over the last decade, China has signed agreements for infrastructure projects in Jordan worth over $7 billion, including plans to construct a new Jordan-China university, a national railway network, and an oil pipeline to link Iraq and Jordan.

But as hope for the Dragon Mall’s success has faded, so too have China’s billion-dollar promises for massive development projects, the majority left as no more than ink on paper.

Chinese investment in Jordan - what Beijing once saw as its “gateway” into the Levant - has been “a flop”, Jesse Marks, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, told The New Arab.

One of the few Chinese projects that have actually materialised has left Jordan caught in a heated lawsuit to get out of a deal that would leave the resource-poor Kingdom billions of dollars in debt.

As per the current agreement for the construction of the Attarat power plant, a Chinese-built shale-oil power plant in the country’s southeast, Jordan must pay China $8.4 billion over a 30-year period, which, after the first two years of the plant’s operations, Jordan has barely managed to repay, according to the Associated Press.

However, the removal of the contract would undermine one of China’s leading Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, likely fuelling tension between Amman and Beijing.

So, the Attarat power plant - once set to be the largest BRI private infrastructure project outside of China - has left Jordan between a rock and a hard place with Beijing, stuck in a lawsuit destined to end in frustration.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Indonesia inaugurated a $100 million floating solar farm on Thursday, the largest in Southeast Asia, as it seeks more opportunities to transition to green, renewable energy.

The Cirata floating solar farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power 50,000 households, is built on a 200-hectare (500-acre) reservoir in West Java, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the capital, Jakarta.
A aerial picture shows the newly built floating solar power plant on the water at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, on Nov. 9, 2023, shortly before being inaugurated by President Joko Widodo. Photo by AFP/Bay Ismoyo

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

I agree, they should be forced to restore annexed land and forced to accept internationally agreed boarders, that includes sharing water and paying for stolen oil, and compensate for the damage they have unlawfully inflicted upon others...there nuclear capability must be removed etc etc comfort

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Yes I've met quite few good Jewish people, also had helpful Jewish fiends as well.
Is like Americans, there are lots of good Americans, is the same here in Australia lots of good Australian's, not many Aussie's are dirty lying pricks like Albanese, Abbott, Rudd, Turnbull, Morrison, Joyce and Howard, most Aussie's are good people.
Same in NZ most are good people, I wont be trusting Winston Peters, in my opinion Peters is a hypercritical liar, likewise lots of liars in NZ Defence Force HQ in Wellington.
There are a few members on here that I wouldn't want covering my back; drunks, religious nutters who think they should be respected who clearly suffer display lost listen symptoms. Respect isn't offered to close minded bigots...doh

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The Indian Air Force's Number 4 squadron of Soviet-made MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft performed its final flight over a base in Rajasthan, where they had been stationed since 1966. From now on, the squadron will operate modern Russia-made Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets, the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.
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Egypt to launch Islamic stock index
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France is out, who is in? African countries are building a new security order

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Niger turns to China to build Africa’s longest oil pipeline
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US President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he intends to remove the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, Niger, and Uganda from America’s flagship trade initiative
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Australian miner AVZ Minerals is heading to international arbitration over rights to one of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium deposits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the company announced on its website on Monday.
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Libya tells Western ambassadors to go home
Supporters of Israel should also face an oil and gas embargo, the parliament in Tobruk has said

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Israel first occupied Gaza during the 1967 Six-Day War with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and only withdrew its troops and settlers nearly 40 years later. It has maintained a tight blockade over the enclave in the years since, and has launched periodic bombing campaigns against Hamas since the group took control of Gaza in 2006.
The latest round of fighting erupted last month on the heels of a Hamas terrorist attack which killed around 1,400 Israelis. The IDF has launched weeks of retaliatory airstrikes and gradually escalated a ground attack on Gaza, leaving more than 10,000 Palestinians dead, according to local officials.______________________________________
Central banks bought 800 tons of gold from January to September this year, the highest on record for the nine-month period, according to the World Gold Council.
In its Gold Demand Trends report for the third quarter of the year, the industry group said net buying of bullion by central banks in the first nine months was up 14% year-on-year.
According to the World Gold Council’s data, China has been the largest buyer of gold this year as part of its 11-month buying streak. Among other notable buyers are Poland, Singapore, Türkiye, Russia, and India.
The increased purchases of gold by emerging economies follow a global trend of central banks moving away from the US dollar as a reserve currency._______________________________________________________
In February, Moscow and Beijing sealed an agreement for additional natural gas supplies to China via the Far Eastern route. The project involves the construction of a cross-border section across the Ussuri River between the already operational Russian pipeline and the Chinese city of Hulin. After reaching full capacity, the route will allow for the delivery of 10 billion cubic meters of Russian pipeline gas to China annually.
Russia currently supplies gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline, a section of the so-called Eastern Route, under a bilateral 30-year agreement. Deliveries started in 2019, and the pipeline is expected to reach its full operational capacity of 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually by 2025.
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The US dollar is facing a growing challenge from BRICS countries due to the bloc’s planned expansion and efforts to boost the use of national currencies in trade among members, according to Joe Sullivan, a former special adviser on the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
In an article for Foreign Policy magazine published earlier this week, Sullivan suggested that BRICS is likely to strip the dollar of its hegemony over global trade even if it doesn’t have a single currency.
The US dollar is facing a growing challenge from BRICS countries due to the bloc’s planned expansion and efforts to boost the use of national currencies in trade among members, according to Joe Sullivan, a former special adviser on the White House Council of Economic Advisers.____________________________________________________________
India has abstained from all resolutions moved against Russia in the United Nations (UN) since it launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. New Delhi has also increased the purchase of Russian crude oil and continued buying weapons from Moscow.
India’s trade volume with Russia has soared in recent months, with turnover for goods in January-August already surpassing the total for the previous year. According to data from the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total trade between the two countries in the first eight months of the year reached nearly $44 billion._______________________________________________________________
India plans to increase purchases of Russian coking coal, which is vital for the steel industry, chairman of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) Amarendu Prakash told reporters on Monday. According to Prakash, Russia offers cheaper prices on the raw material than Australia,

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

yeah:
The Russian foreign minister on Monday said the West is pushing the Middle East region to the brink of a “big war,” leading to a surge in terrorism and refugee flows.

“Now we see how the Anglo-Saxons are literally pushing the Middle East to the brink of a big war,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a panel discussion during the Russia International Exhibition and Forum in Moscow.

Lavrov went on to argue that this approach used by the West is “fully manifested” in Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and Syria.

“Other results of such a policy are a surge in terrorism and extremism, broken human destinies, destroyed families, millions-strong flows of refugees,” he added.

Lavrov said the West is accustomed to “solving its own problems at the expense of others, to exploiting other people’s resources.”

He argued that NATO is a “relic of the past,” adding that the alliance is “spreading its tentacles” all over the world which may lead it to “overstrain” itself.
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Civilian deaths in 1 month of Israeli attacks on Gaza top entire Russia-Ukraine war toll
10,022 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 compared to 9,806 in Ukraine since Feb. 24 last year
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Palestine urges ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Gaza conflict
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh calls for action to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza Strip
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Int’l community should not let Gaza tragedy continue: China
Beijing says ‘disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza is calling out to human conscience’
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56 mosques destroyed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since Oct. 7
Total number of mosques damaged in Gaza Strip rises to 192
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US State Department on Monday said statements by an Israeli minister who threatened to consider using nuclear bombs in Gaza is "wholly unacceptable.
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Germany on Monday condemned statements by an Israeli minister who threatened to consider using nuclear bombs in the Gaza war.
The remarks by Israel’s Cultural Heritage Minister Amichai Elijahu are “of course to be condemned. Such statements are unacceptable,” Kathrin Deschauer, deputy spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing in Berlin.

During an interview on Sunday, Eliyahu, a minister from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, said dropping a “nuclear bomb” on the Gaza Strip is “an option.”
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Oil prices up ahead of US Federal Reserve meeting, sighting the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict including Israeli airstrikes Tuesday on Jabalia refugee camp deepen concerns that oil supply routes might be disrupted
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“China stands ready to strengthen coordination with Egypt and other Arab countries to work for a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question at an early date,” Xi had told visiting Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

RE: The difference between a Human and an Animal.

I understand you choose to cling to your religious persuasion and that is your right. Myself I really believe that all faith based religions are are evil. It is your right cling to your ego if you must. I don't min I read every day about the stupidity of people religions, myself I chucked Christianity out of my life a long time ago as it is without doubt a complete nonsense.
I happened to meet with the Tibetan 20,000 year old explanation an explanation that has its bases well tested using human ability to engage mind in logic and reason. Anyway this is my offering to you soldier Lukeon:
Animals have always been regarded in Buddhist thought as sentient beings. The doctrine of rebirth held that any human could be reborn as animal, and any animal could be reborn as a human.

The Four Noble Truths are the essence of Buddha’s teachings. They are:
· the truth of suffering
· the truth of the cause of suffering
· the truth of the end of suffering
· the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering

Simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. This emphasis on suffering does not mean that Buddhism dwells on a negative world view – it has a pragmatic perspective about the reality of what humanity faces. The concept of pleasure is accepted but needs to be recognized as fleeting and temporary. The pursuit of worldly happiness is unquenchable yet ultimately, only ageing, sickness, and death are certain.

What is the cycle of rebirth?
The role of karma can be seen in the Buddhist explanation of the cycle of rebirth. Buddhist cosmology suggests that there are six realms into which any being can be reborn – three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms.

The inhabitants of the three unfortunate realms – the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm and the hell realm – suffer untold suffering. Those who create favorable, positive karma will take rebirth in one of the fortunate realms: the realm of demigods, the realm of gods, and the realm of humans. Although the demigods and gods enjoy pleasures, they suffer unceasing jealousy and envy.

Despite all the many difficulties involved in being born a human, the human realm is considered the most fortunate realm of rebirth. This is because it is only with a human rebirth that Enlightenment can be achieved. Given the number of living things, to be born human is, to Buddhists, a precious and rare opportunity.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The Vietnamese fought for over hundred years to piss the French out of Vietnam.
Vanuatu is I think still stuck with the pricks.
cheers mate

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

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NEW DELHI: Israel is attempting to control the Indian media narrative on Palestine, journalists have warned, as they denounced a public attack by Tel Aviv’s envoy on one of India’s most prominent magazines.
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Honduras on Friday became the latest Latin American country to recall its ambassador to Israel for consultations as it condemned what it called genocide and other serious violations of international law in the Gaza Strip.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

HHDL teachers non violence, no money in that !!___________________________________
Quick look around:
Ankara has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, citing the country’s refusal to consider a ceasefire in Gaza___________________________
America’s new nuclear bomb planned for development has the potential to level central Moscow and kill more than 300,000 of its 13 million inhabitants, Newsweek magazine reported on Friday, citing a simulation created through the online tool Nukemap.
The Pentagon announced late last month that it would seek to make a new variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb – the B61-13 – pending authorization by Congress. The weapon would have an estimated 360-kiloton yield, which is 24 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima during World War______________________________________
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna paid a visit to Nigeria on Friday, urging African nations not to develop relations with Moscow instead of Paris.
During her visit to the capital, Abuja, which she called “an opportunity to highlight the strong growth of cooperation,” the minister announced “the imminent return of $150 million of the funds embezzled by Sani Abacha” which were seized by the courts and have been frozen in France since 2021.
These three African countries are former French colonies whose pro-Paris governments have been overthrown by the military. The most recent coup took place this summer in Niger.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are part of the Sahel region, which also includes Chad and Mauritania. Colonna told the press that “the Sahel does not represent all of Africa,” noting that “there are many different and more positive situations beyond the Sahel.”
Meanwhile, many African countries maintain warm relations with Russia. The Russia-Africa Summit, which was held in St. Petersburg in July, was attended by representatives of all 54 African countries, including 45 heads of state or government.___________________________________________________
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that his forces would continue their skirmishes with the Israeli military until Hamas achieves victory in Gaza. Nasrallah warned that an attack on Lebanon would be the “most foolish mistake” in Israeli history.
“What is happening in Gaza today is not just another war; it is a decisive historical battle with consequences that will reshape the future,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Hezbollah’s objectives in this battle, he stated, are to “stop the aggression” on Gaza and ensure that Hamas “achieves victory” against Israel.___________________________________________
The latest fighting came a day after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that Israel's war in the Gaza Strip could turn into a regional conflict if Israel pushed on with its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory._______________________________________
Thai officials held direct talks with Hamas in Iran last week over the fate of 22 of the kingdom's nationals taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group in its attack on Israel, the head of the Thai delegation said._________________________________________
UN chief says he is 'horrified' by reported attack outside Al-Shifa hospital
‘Images of bodies strewn on street outside hospital are harrowing,’ says Antonio Guterres of attack, which killed at least 13 people and wounded 26_____________________________________________
North Korea has created a new holiday to celebrate the anniversary of the successful test launch of its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile last year, state media reported Sunday.
On November 18, 2022, Pyongyang carried out what is believed to be the first full flight test of the Hwasong-17 — dubbed the “monster missile” by analysts. continued

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

correction
Killabakh NSW

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

You probably noticed i deleted clowns post.
During my three times round world, I met a Tibetan, revisited him another three times, we got on well, he was parachuted into Bangladesh when Pakistan invaded India. Indian government requested HH Dalai Lama supply troops and Tenzing was eating smoked rats in Bangladesh. We got pissed & stoned etc etc.
When I finally stopped traveling another Tibetan appeared a couple of times here in Australia his name Karma Phunstok < > Karma & Carol were very helpful, we might have heard about dupe few times. Karma traveled to NZ painted some Dharma teachings in the Temple at 159 Parakiore Road, Kamo, Whangarei.
I formally studied Buddha Dharma at Chenrezig Institute at Eudlo in Qld
< >
Later I was appointed Director of Temple Gyalwa Ensapa at Kellabakh in NSW until it the Temple was desecrated. Dalai Lama appeared and requested I explain a teaching to Australian & NZ Governments, I did that. Recorded my answer in law in both countries. During that process HH Dalai Lama got me to submit UN documents on his behalf, I based my submission on the Chinese Constitution.
Also the Tibetan Government in Exile supplied a submission for inclusion as did the European Parliament.
The document sighted China's intention to murder 27 Tibetans, it was accepted by UN and China was called to account, however they simply ditched their constitution adopted a new Chinese constitution and shot the Tibetans.
HH Dalai Lama informed Howard's Government I was a qualified Practitioner. I have been repeatedly attacked by an element of Liberal & Labor clowns ever since.
We have very short human rebirth endowed with qualities other sentient beings lack.
I urge you to enjoy a quite kilometer stroll, as there is much to grain, nothing to loose mate.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Same with all religions, I was lied to when i was seventeen by Tiny Hill and that lead to 13 months in Vietnam, army is still lying and depriving me of a discharge the NZ High Court upholds my right to (appeal to the High Court 16th December 2002 at Rotorua).
It is the 20,000 year old Buddhist philosophy's view. That all sentient beings, like ourselves, have been migrating from life to life since beginningless time.
The wisdom arises by utilizing our ability to review using logic and reason. By deduction our true nature is moving energy driven by its causes. Likewise for all sentient beings that have mind and fear death, by deduction have at some time in the past been our own mothers, given birth to us, fed and protected us and therefore the religious nutters and drunks are killing there own mothers while creating the certain karma's driven by the causes of been killed, its certain bound up in time 100% certain doh
A mind set that drops tons of bombs on men women and children, as well as killing probably trillions of other sentient the mindless clowns are certainly killing, the birds, bees fish and so forth that have mind and fear death same as we do.
Feel free to check whether what I have just written is correct: Try 159 Parakiore Road, Kamo, Whangarei 0176, New Zealand

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a Republican plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel

The bill was the first major legislative action under new pro-Israel Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

It comes as Israel killed over 9,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 3,826 children, much of it using American weaponry.

Massacres have taken place across Gaza, most recently with Israel's bombing of a refugee camp.
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Premier Netanyahu continues to use scriptures to defend Israeli war on Gaza
Israeli prime minister cites Torah to encourage soldiers, justify onslaught on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again used Jewish religious references to encourage his soldiers in their fight against the Palestinian groups in Gaza.

At least three times, Netanyahu quoted scriptures in his speeches to justify the onslaught on Gaza.

In a letter he addressed to the Israeli soldiers and officers on Friday, he used several quotes from the Torah to incite them against the Gaza Strip.

"Remember what Amalek did to you," Netanyahu told the Israeli soldiers, in reference to the warring Amalekites tribe, mentioned in several books of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, to justify their attacks on Gaza.

“This is a war between the children of light and the children of darkness,” Netanyahu said using these words of religious connotation. "We will not relent in our mission until the light overcomes the darkness; the good will defeat the extremist evil that threatens us and the entire world."

"You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me," Netanyahu quoted from the Jewish book of Tanakh (Psalms 18:40).

Last week, Netanyahu also invoked Jewish and Christian scripture to justify the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
Religious Nutters supported mostly by drunks

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The Three Brotherhood Alliance, also known as the Brotherhood Alliance, is an alliance between the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army formed in June 2019.

The group rose to prominence in 2023 in resisting the Burmese junta in the wake of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The three-armed groups were silent about the coup initially but released a statement reaffirming the alliance's existence in March 2021. During the Myanmar civil war, the group fought mainly in Rakhine State and northern Shan State. On October 27, 2023, the alliance launched Operation 1027, an offensive against the junta in northern Shan state.

In 2016, following increased tensions between the Rohingya people of Rakhine State in western Myanmar and Buddhist extremists allied with the Myanmar military, the Burmese government began a genocidal campaign to expel Rohingya civilians from Rakhine state. The tensions hit a boiling point following an attack by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants against a Burmese police outpost. The Arakan Army, which had fought against the Tatmadaw in the early 2010's alongside the Kachin Independence Army, resumed operations in Rakhine state following the resurgence in conflict and in 2018, conducted several attacks against the Tatmadaw in Rakhine state

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army predominantly conducted localized operations against the Tatmadaw in northern Shan State prior to the 2021 coup. Despite being created in 2009, more recent than other rebel groups in Myanmar, the TNLA received public support from Ta'ang people and military support from other rebel groups like the KIA and United Wa State Army. Prior to the coup, the TNLA clashed regularly with the Restoration Council of Shan State over control of northern Shan state.

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army is an ethnic armed group representing the Kokang people in northern Myanmar. Prior to the coup, the group participated in sporadic clashes between the Tatmadaw and the TNLA, but ultimately signed a ceasefire with the Tatmadaw in 2019.

The Northern Alliance is a coalition of four rebel groups – the MNDAA, AA, TNLA, and the KIA – that was founded in 2016 to participate in peace talks with the Burmese government. The KIA later joined the FPNCC, which the TNLA, AA, and MNDAA were not part of.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Oh the Karen ( Kayin) peoples been fighting in Burma long time. Once upon-a-time I wandered around their they are nice folks.
The Karen are an ethnic group who have resided in Burma for over two thousand years and were one of the first inhabitants of the region. Many of the Karen have fled Burma due to religious and ethnic persecution by the government.
What is the conflict in Myanmar?
Insurgencies have been ongoing in Myanmar since 1948, the year the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. (Tatmadaw simply means "armed forces" in Burmese, but the name has become synonymous with the current military authority, given its huge power in the country and global notoriety. For centuries the Burmese monarchy had a standing army, but it was disbanded under British rule.) confused me to
Myanmar military has carried out a brutal nationwide crackdown on millions of people opposed to its rule. The junta security forces have carried out mass killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, s*xual violence, and other abuses that amount to crimes against humanity.
Alliance of ethnic armed groups says it has taken a key border town and overrun dozens of military bases.
A week ago, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed alliances launched a coordinated attack on a dozen military outposts in northern Shan State, along the country’s eastern border with China.
Code-named Operation 1027, the plan is to assert and defend territory against Myanmar military incursions, eradicate “oppressive military dictatorship”, and combat online fraud along the border, according to a statement from its organisers, the Three Brotherhood Alliance.
For generations, the country was called Burma, after the dominant Burman ethnic group. But in 1989, one year after the ruling junta brutally suppressed a pro-democracy uprising, military leaders suddenly changed its name to Myanmar. By then, Burma was an international pariah, desperate for any way to improve its image.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the alliance has so far seized more than 80 military bases and taken over the border post of Chin Shwe Haw, while more than 100 military soldiers have surrendered to resistance forces. Footage posted by alliance members on social media indicates that they have also seized large caches of military weapons and ammunition.
The recent surge in fighting comes after roughly 1,000 days of violence and upheaval since Senior General Min Aung Hlaing removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Within months, the military’s lethal crackdowns on nonviolent protests had sparked an armed uprising that has since grown to an unprecedented scale.
Aung San Suu Kyi is or was married to an Englishmen, she is good person Butcher

RE: Naturally aspirated...

I've enjoyed my 2025 Mazda Bravo 2.5 TD 4x4 since 2006 and its still going OK

Friend purchased a Toyota Hilux since he purchased it class action case against Toyota Australia alleged the diesel particulate filter fitted to the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder HiLux, Prado and Fortuner is defective. A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is fitted between the engine and exhaust to collect soot and dangerous particles from diesel vehicles so the lawyers can make money or something. The vehicle is a big pain.

So mee mate has been thinking about replacing the Hilux with something.
Couple days ago I received Unsealed 4x4 newsletter < > I'm impressed and so was mee mate.
Further research explains the Mahindra Scorpio has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which produces 129kW at 3500rpm and 400Nm at 1750-2750rpm. It has a six-speed automatic transmission, an auto-locking rear diff, and a part-time 4WD system with a dual-range transfer case incorporating low range
Gear box is made by Aisin Seiki in Japan and Aisin is partly owned by Toyota and it is fitted with a Borg Warner Transfer Case/Box depending whether you able to speak English or just American.
I personally dislike American made vehicle designs, once owned a Ford Galaxie in good old US of A The Galaxie was quite wide ran Ok but come on man the Indians build better vehicles today by long country mile.

The 2.2-litre mHawk engine, has the next level of common-rail diesel tech. It was the first dual overhead cam engine. The life of this engine is among the best today and it can run for 500,000km without any problems

RE: Karma

@OP solo_traveler
Karma can be individual or collective. For example, individual karma is created by a person's thoughts, words, and actions. But when people act as a group, like when soldiers use weapons or when a religious group prays or meditates, they create collective karma. So yes if we act unskillfully then suffering outcomes.

The Buddhist Eight fold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right "samadh".
The Buddha said: "When you monks unify your minds, the mind is in samadhi. Since the mind is in samadhi, you know the characteristics of the creation and destruction of the various phenomena in the world.

Buddhism teaches interdependent arising's, the causes, without cause nothing.
All sentient beings are experiencing suffering rebirth because they or collectively created the causes.
It is worth knowing that all sentient beings (beings that have mind and fear death) have been migrating from life to life since beginningless time and it is without end driven by the causes. One root causes is desire!
Good to know that our motivation creates positive outcomes comfort

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

In 1948 soon after Britain shifted Israel's to the Palestinian region the Israel's blew up the British garrison killed quite a few POME's

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

The Pentagon is conducting illegal biological research under the pretense of ‘public health,’ the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed



and:
The US is transferring dual-purpose biological research activities to Africa, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Monday, citing Pentagon documents.

According to Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who leads the Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, the move is in response to Moscow’s efforts to expose Washington's illegal military-biological operations. He also cited the worsening “epidemic situation near biosites in the European region.”

“The documents at our disposal confirm the activities of key Pentagon contractors on the African continent – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa. Customers on the part of the US government are the DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency], the National Security Agency, and the US Department of State,” Kirillov added.


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Myanmar's military has lost control of a strategic town on the Chinese border following days of clashes with ethnic armed groups, in what analysts say is the biggest military challenge it has faced since seizing power.

Fighting has raged since Friday across northern Shan state, with an alliance of ethnic groups claiming to have seized four towns, blocked trade routes to China and captured dozens of military outposts.

The remoteness of the rugged, jungle-clad region -- home to pipelines that supply oil and gas to China -- and patchy communications make it difficult to verify casualty numbers in the fighting, which the United Nations fears has displaced thousands.


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The UK issued 106 years ago a highly controversial statement that helped pave the way for the creation of the state of Israel.

The 1917 Balfour Declaration gets its name from then UK Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour who delivered the message in a letter to British Jewish leader Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild.

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object," the declaration read.

The declaration is viewed as an important moment in the leadup to the 1948 foundation of Israel, an episode that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of some 750,000 Palestinians from their land.

Palestinians know the event as the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic) and many consider it an ongoing process of displacement.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an intergovernmental Muslim body, also mentioned the situation in Gaza in a statement about the Balfour Declaration.

"This painful anniversary coincides with the ongoing crises in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing the escalation of killings, organised terrorism, displacement, and the deliberate destruction of residential buildings, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and infrastructure," the OIC said.

"These actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Israeli occupation."

Both the OIC and Arab League expressed support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
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The China Development Bank on Monday disbursed a 7 billion yuan ($956.61 million) loan agreement with Egypt's central bank, according to a statement released by the Beijing-based bank on Tuesday.

The agreement was signed during the third Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing earlier this month, the statement said, and is to finance projects agreed upon at that summit as well as during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Biggest Chinese Antarctic fleet sets off to build research station

Two Chinese icebreaker research vessels and a cargo ship set sail on Wednesday for the Antarctic with more than 460 personnel on board to help complete construction of China's fifth station on the world's southernmost continent.

China's biggest flotilla of research vessels deployed to the Antarctic will focus on building the station on the rocky, windswept Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, a deep Southern Ocean bay named after a 19th century British explorer.

Work on the first Chinese station in the Pacific sector began in 2018. It will be used to conduct research on the region's environment, state television reported.

China has four research stations in the Antarctic built from 1985 to 2014. A U.S.-based think tank estimated the fifth could be finished next year.

The facility is expected to include an observatory with a satellite ground station, and should help China "fill in a major gap" in its ability to access the continent, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report this year.

The station is also well situated to collect signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand and telemetry data on rockets launched from Australia's new Arnhem Space Centre, it said.
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World Directory of Modern Military Warships

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Quick look around:
Numerous studies conducted by the World Bank have estimated that BRI can boost trade flows in 155 participating countries by 4.1 percent, as well as cutting the cost of global trade by 1.1 percent to 2.2 percent, and grow the GDP of East Asian and Pacific developing countries by an average of 2.6 to 3.9 percent.

It is estimated that China has funded about 2,970 Belt and Road projects globally with an estimated expenditure of about US$4 trillion.

By the end of August 2023, more than 80 countries and international organizations had subscribed to the Initiative on Promoting Unimpeded Trade Cooperation Along the Belt and Road, proposed by China. China had signed 21 free trade agreements with 28 countries and regions.

The total area of Africa is approximately 1.2 billion acres, of which 71% is covered by land and 29% is covered by water. The total area of land that China owns in Africa is approximately 186,000 square miles (465,000 square kilometers). This is around 7% of the total land area in Africa.

Belt and Road transport corridors have the potential to substantially improve trade, foreign investment, and living conditions for citizens in its participating countries

China is now Africa's biggest trading partner, with Sino-African trade topping $200 billion per year. Over 10,000 Chinese firms are currently operating throughout the African continent, and the value of Chinese business there since 2005 amounts to more than $2 trillion, with $300 billion in current investments.14 Nov 2022

Between 2000 and 2020, China helped African countries build 13,000-plus-km-long railways, nearly 100,000 km of highways, about 1,000 bridges, nearly 100 ports and more than 80 large-scale power facilities.

China's signature international program is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). As of August 2023, 215 cooperation documents have been signed with 155 countries and 32 international organisations.

China currently has military alliances with 6 African states, 4 of which are major oil suppliers: Sudan, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt.
Venezuela is the country with the greatest sovereign debt exposure to China, in terms of direct lending (excluding portfolio holdings), according to AidData's 2021 study, totaling $74.7 billion.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

yeahSeveral Arab states have slammed Israel's massacre in one of the Gaza Strip's most densely populated refugee camps on Tuesday, calling for an immediate end to the violence and warning of escalation.
other headlins The NewArab news site:
Islamophobia 'on the rise' in Thailand amid war on Gaza
Palestine UK
Palestinians call for embassies to be protected amid threats
Iran calls for Arab-Islamic boycott, oil embargo on Israel
Videos show Israeli army torturing Palestinians in West Bank
Yemen's Houthis launch third rocket barrage at Israel
Jordan recalls ambassador to Israel over Gaza war
Wounded Palestinians moved to North Sinai, some die en route

Gaza's densely-populated Jabalia camp was hit by Israeli bombardment for the second time in less than 24 hours, according to reports, with hundreds of Palestinians feared to be trapped under rubble.

Around 400 people are believed to be dead and wounded from Tuesday's attack on Jabalia, in what the health ministry has called "a heinous Israeli massacre".

Initial reports from authorities in Gaza said at least 50 people died in Israeli airstrikes on the camp, but later estimates said the death toll was 100 and counting.

The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza reportedly received hundreds of casualties, mostly women and children, following the strike on one of the world's most densely populated areas.

Turkey and Iran on Wednesday called for a regional conference aimed at averting the spread of the Israel-Hamas war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian a day after Iran's top diplomat met Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Fidan said Turkey was pushing for an immediate ceasefire because "it is not difficult to predict that this spiral of violence will grow" without a permanent solution to the war.

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Russia warns Israel about attacks on Syria
Spreading conflict to other countries in the Middle East is “unacceptable,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, while discussing a spate of recent Israeli airstrikes with his Syrian counterpart.

Lavrov brought up the issue of Israeli airstrikes, “which have become more frequent against the backdrop of events around the Gaza Strip,” during a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a readout of the call.

Both ministers “emphasized the danger of attempts by external forces to turn the Middle East, in its current explosive situation, into an arena for settling geopolitical scores,” the readout

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

Yep I noticed the Turk's are saying quite a lot as does:
Israel has dropped 18,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, 1.5 times more than bomb dropped on Hiroshima
‘The Israeli army massacred 908 families, causing the death of thousands of people,’ says Salama Marouf, the head of the government media office in Gaza .

Speaking to the press, Salama Marouf, head of the government's media office, said Israeli forces have also destroyed 85 government buildings in Gaza, adding: "In Gaza, Israel has demolished 47 mosques and inflicted significant harm to three churches. The attacks have resulted in over 200,000 damaged buildings, with 32,500 of them rendered uninhabitable, 203 schools have sustained major damage, and 45 schools are now completely non-operational. Due to the intensity of the attacks, statistics are not yet complete."

One Belt and Road Initiative growing stronger

continued:
Turkic states between Europe in the West and China in the East.

Turkey, seen as a natural bridge between Asia and Europe, is perhaps one of the most sensitive countries to changes in trade routes, as Ottomans bitterly experienced during the Age of Discovery. Ozel's alarm, and developments since, highlight Turkish discomfort with new plans like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced on the sidelines of the Group of 20 last month, and Ankara's determination to strengthen routes that place Turkey in an integral position.

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