🇿🇦❌🇷🇺 🏳️ South Africa's Coalition Dissents Over Russia Ties

South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA), a former opposition party now in government, on Wednesday rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa comments about Russia being a "valued ally".

Ramaphosa was in Russia this week for the BRICS summit in Kazan and met with President Vladimir Putin who he called a "friend" -- words that the DA rejected.

"The Democratic Alliance does not consider Russia, or Vladimir Putin, to be an ally of our Nation," party leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement.

He said that positions expressed on behalf of the government of national unity, a coalition of 10 parties, should be "subject to full and proper debate within the government mechanisms before being announced."

The African National Congress (ANC) which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid three decades ago lost its majority in May elections, forcing it into a coalition.

The DA, which has long been a critic of the ANC, is now the second largest party in government and often dissents on foreign policy matters.

https://www.barrons.com/news/south-africa-s-coalition-dissents-over-russia-ties-5d7fa3f0

@FelipeChannel

🇺🇸⚡️🇪🇺 — 🪖 NATO | NATO launches five new multinational cooperation initiatives that enhance deterrence and defence | October 17, 2024:

"On Thursday (17 October 2024), NATO launched five initiatives designed to address some of the most critical areas for Allied deterrence and defence. These new multinational High Visibility Projects will involve a total of 26 Allies and will help deliver critical capabilities that will enhance interoperability among NATO forces.

Contributing Allies took part in a signing ceremony during a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters. NATO’s Acting Deputy Secretary General Boris Ruge welcomed “the beginning of more meaningful work in new areas, but also important milestones for existing projects,” adding that “it’s a great example of how our Alliance delivers”.

The first project aims to accelerate the delivery of new generation Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) - such as NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) - through multinational cooperation. Thirteen Allies kicked off the project: Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. RPAS fleets are essential to a range of roles and missions including joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and electromagnetic warfare.

The second initiative seeks to increase the interchangeability and interoperability of key Allied artillery munitions. With initial contributions from 15 Allies - Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States - the project will contribute to harmonizing national fire testing and certification mechanisms. It will also help keep relevant standards up-to-date and support their adoption.

The Distributed Synthetic Training Environment project aims to respond to the ever-growing demand for virtual training at the multinational level. It establishes a network of advanced and immersive multinational training opportunities for militaries. Eighteen NATO nations have joined the project: Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, United Kingdom and the United States. By leveraging national simulated training capabilities for multinational purposes, the project will bring immense operational benefits and economies of scale."

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🇺🇸🇺🇦US and G7 allies moving forward with $50 billion loan package to Ukraine, including $20 billion from the US backed by frozen Russian assets

The US and Western allies are moving forward with a $50 billion loan package to Ukraine backed by the profits of frozen Russian assets, which includes a US contribution of $20 billion, the White House announced Wednesday.

“As part of the G7 package, the United States is announcing today that we will provide $20 billion in loans to Ukraine that will be paid back by the interest earned from immobilized Russian sovereign assets,” President Joe Biden said in a statement formally announcing the package. “In other words, Ukraine can receive the assistance it needs now, without burdening taxpayers.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/23/politics/us-g7-ukraine-loan-package/index.html

🇨🇳 China has another new submarine type – and it’s a very dangerous one

The Chinese navy has not one but two new submarine types. And the latest of the two to break cover may be the most dangerous. The new Type 093B, the first close photos of which circulated online in early October, might be a cruise missile submarine.

This summer, naval expert Thomas Shugart was the first civilian observer to notice the appearance of a new sub type in satellite imagery depicting a pier in Wuhan, China. That imagery, dated late April, depicts what appears to be the first example of a Type 039 diesel-electric attack submarine fitted with a small auxiliary nuclear powerplant – an innovation that could extend the type’s underwater endurance.

Later photos seem to indicate the hybrid Type 039 sank at its pier back in July. If confirmed, the sinking would be a setback for the Chinese navy and would, at the very least, delay the commissioning of the first of the hybrid subs – potentially by years.

Given the circumstances, the other new Chinese sub type to appear this year is very likely to precede the hybrid type in front-line service. The recent photos of this new type, apparently shot near Bohai, depict a new version of the Type 093, the Chinese navy’s only nuclear-powered attack submarine. Six Type 093s are in service.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/21/china-nuclear-cruise-missile-submarine-type-093-ssgn/

🇺🇦Ukraine's population has fallen by 10 million since Russia's invasion, UN says

Ukraine's population has declined by 10 million, or around a quarter, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion as a result of refugees leaving, collapsing fertility and war deaths, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a Geneva news conference, Florence Bauer, Eastern Europe head at the U.N. Population Fund, said the invasion in February 2022 had turned an already difficult demographic situation into something more severe.

"The birth rate plummeted and is currently at around one child per woman, which is one of the lowest in the world," she said. It takes a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to maintain a stable population.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-population-has-fallen-by-10-million-since-russias-invasion-un-says-2024-10-22/

https://archive.ph/rbdWU

🤩🤩🤩 🌐 — #BRICS2024: Leaders of 36 countries pose together for a photo during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia:

🇮🇳 | India
🇨🇳 | China
🇷🇺 | Russia
🇧🇷 | Brazil
🇪🇬 | Egypt
🇪🇹 | Ethiopia
🇮🇷 | Iran
🇸🇦 | Saudi Arabia
🇿🇦 | South Africa
🇦🇪 | United Arab Emirates
🇦🇲 | Armenia
🇦🇿 | Azerbaijan
🇧🇭 | Bahrain
🇧🇩 | Bangladesh
🇧🇾 | Belarus
🇧🇴 | Bolivia
🇨🇬 | Congo
🇨🇺 | Cuba
🇮🇩 | Indonesia
🇰🇿 | Kazakhstan
🇰🇬 | Kyrgyzstan
🇱🇦 | Laos
🇲🇾 | Malaysia
🇲🇷 | Mauritania
🇲🇳 | Mongolia
🇳🇮 | Nicaragua
🇷🇸 | Serbia
🇱🇰 | Sri Lanka
🇹🇯 | Tajikistan
🇹🇭 | Thailand
🇹🇷 | Turkey
🇺🇿 | Uzbekistan
🇻🇪 | Venezuela
🇻🇳 | Vietnam
🇹🇲 | Turkmenistan
🇵🇸 | Palestine

— So we have 3 countries refused into BRICS:

➡️ Venezuela, over Fraudulent elections, by Brazil

➡️ Nicaragua, over the Sandinista Regime's persecution of the Catholic Church, by Brazil

➡️ Turkey, over its ties with Pakistan, by India

🚦🇮🇷🇮🇱 Israel delays Iran retaliation after US intelligence leak

The leak revealed Israel’s well-advanced plans to respond to a salvo of nearly 200 Iranian ballistic missiles fired against it earlier this month, which was a retaliation by Tehran for Israel’s attacks on its Middle Eastern proxy groups.

https://www.thetimes.com/world/israel-hamas-war/article/israel-iran-us-intelligence-leak-hx5mcbmlr

https://archive.is/VyMvd

🇷🇺🇰🇵Russian lawmakers ratify pact with North Korea as US confirms that Pyongyang sent troops to Russia

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, voted quickly to endorse the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed with North Korean leader King Jong Un on a visit to Pyongyang in June. The upper house is expected to follow suit soon.

The pact obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” if either is attacked. It marked the strongest link between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be “fair game” if they go into combat in Ukraine.

Asked in June whether North Korean troops could fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under the pact, Putin said there was no need for that but he also announced for the first time that Russia could provide weapons to Pyongyang.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/24/russia-north-korea-troops-ukraine-treaty-ratification/2155cb10-91e9-11ef-b5b1-75167840d9f3_story.html

https://archive.ph/4hneS

🇺🇸🇰🇵US must weigh 'military action against' North Korean forces if invading Ukraine: House intel chair Turner

If North Korean troops invade Ukraine, America must "seriously consider" engaging in military action against them, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chair Rep. Mike Turner said in a statement issued Wednesday.

"If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine's sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops," the Ohio Republican asserted.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-must-weigh-military-action-against-north-korean-forces-invading-ukraine-house-intel-chair-turner

🐧❌🇷🇺 Several Russian Linux developers lost their kernel maintainership status, because of 'various compliance requirements':

'Given that the developers involved all appear to be of Russian origin, it is not too hard to imagine what sort of compliance is involved here.'

While Linux can be seen as 'international project', the Linux Foundation is based in the US, and therefore has to follow US laws..

https://x.com/cryptonator1337/status/1849043020378681684

@FelipeChannel

🇲🇦 — The Moroccan government has approved a historic defense budget of nearly $14 billion for 2025, the largest defense budget in the kingdom's history.