US setting up sensors across Ukraine to detect potential nuclear blasts

In a statement for the newspaper, the Nuclear Emergency Support Team said that the network of atomic sensors was being deployed "throughout the region" and would have the ability "to characterize the size, location and effects of any nuclear explosion."

The sensors will be able to detect radiation from both a dirty bomb and a nuclear weapon activated in Ukraine, the report said.

The move would allegedly deny Russia any opportunity to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine without attribution. The sensors will presumably serve as deterrence because they would make Russian decision-makers aware the United States can expose the use of a nuclear weapon as a false-flag operation.

"Scientific analyses would be rapidly provided to US government authorities and decision-making centers in Ukraine and the region to make actionable, technically informed decisions to protect public health and safety."

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IAEA notes intensified military activity near Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

"The increased military presence and activity in the region again underlines the importance and urgency of agreeing on the protection of the plant," the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

This week, the IAEA experts present at the station were once again forced to take cover after a shelling warning. Meanwhile, sounds of bombing in the distance were heard, the agency's statement added.

"In addition, one landmine exploded near the site," Grossi said.
On Thursday, the IAEA said that a regular, seventh rotation of the agency's specialists had taken place at the power plant on schedule. For the next month, two IAEA officers will work at the ZNPP. The IAEA mission has been stationed at ZNPP since September.

Grossi also expressed the hope on Thursday that a safety zone around the ZNPP will be created before the end of this year.

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📹 Biden presents Commander-in-Chief trophy to Air Force Falcons (for winning football games against its rival US service academies) in the White House

"Where I'm going tonight, I might need that helmet," Biden told the team during the ceremony.

What does that even mean? Any idea what's happening tonight? 🫠

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🇷🇺Russian airborne troops will receive new automated artillery control vehicles called Zavet-D by the end of 2023, which will double the efficiency of artillery, according to the press service of the Rostec state corporation. The first batch of the systems will be delivered to troops by the end of 2023, the corporation statement reads.

The complex is equipped with a reconnaissance optical-electronic system and an external radar. It can detect a target at a distance of up to 7,000 meters and identify it at a distance of up to 5,000 meters. The vehicle determines the direction and speed of enemy movement, identifies targets, and distributes them according to the degree of danger, after which it provides targeting to artillery crews in real time.

The Zavet-D is capable of increasing the effectiveness of artillery systems used by the airborne forces, such as the 2C9 Nona-S self-propelled guns, 2C9-1 Sviristelka, and 2C9-1M Nona-SM, by 1.5-2 times.

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GOP lawmakers 'Free' IRS whistleblower to testify about Hunter Biden

Republican members of Congress are backing an IRS whistleblower who has alleged a cover-up of the Hunter Biden tax evasion investigation.

The whistleblower claims that IRS agents were blocked from delving deeper into the Biden family's tax affairs. The House Ways and Means Committee has authorized two lawyers to collect information from the whistleblower about the alleged wrongdoing.

The whistleblower's identity remains secret, but his lawyer has said that he can provide documents and witnesses to back his claims. The GOP has called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden's tax affairs, which they claim were given preferential treatment.

Attorney General Merrick Garland's sworn testimony to Congress on the matter is being challenged.

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Largest Buddhist monastery opens in Russia's Siberia 🇷🇺

🙏 The main Buddhist monastery was erected at the initiative of Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, who was born in Tuva, on a site blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama during his only visit to Tuva on September 21, 1992.

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This brain-hijacking parasite drives wolves toward pack leadership

New research suggests that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is known to affect the behavior of animals, can also alter the dynamics of entire ecosystems.

In a study of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park, infected wolves were found to be more likely to take risks and become pack leaders.

The parasite is thought to raise testosterone levels, triggering aggression and a desire for dominance, which are traits needed in a pack leader.

The study also revealed a feedback loop, in which an infected pack leader could influence the behavior of the rest of the pack, potentially increasing the rate of infection.

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Biden's 2024 bid tainted by new corruption allegations

Ted Harvey, a US political commentator and former Colorado state senator, accuses the mainstream US press, Department of Justice, and intelligence community of turning a blind eye to President Joe Biden's alleged nepotism and fundraising rule violations.

Harvey questions the source of funding for Biden's $250,000 90-second ad, which he released just 24 hours after announcing his candidacy.

OpenSecrets reports that Biden's campaign and joint fundraising committee, Biden Victory Fund, have over $2.2 million cash on hand, but Democratic Party members believe total fundraising and outside spending could reach over $2 billion.

Republican lawmakers are intensifying their investigations into the Biden family's alleged influence-peddling schemes, which involve at least 12 members, according to Oversight Chair James Comer.

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Sister of North Korean leader says Biden appears to be ‘old man with no future'

Commenting on Joe Biden’s statement, Kim Yo-jong, he deputy head of the Central Committee of North Korea’s Workers’ Party and the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that "It may be taken as a nonsensical remark from the person in his dotage who is not at all capable of taking the responsibility for security and the future of the US, an old man with no future, as it is too much for him to serve out two-year remainder of his office term."

She said that Seoul’s latest agreement with Washington reflects "the most hostile and aggressive will of action" against Pyongyang that will "only result in making peace and security of Northeast Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger."

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Leak of a sensitive kind: docs on Royal Navy ‘hunter-killer’ sub reportedly left in pub loo

An investigation has been launched by the UK Royal Navy in the wake of a report that someone off for a tinkle at The Furness Railway, a Wetherspoon establishment in Barrow-in-Furness, might have made a ‘leak’ of a rather more serious kind.

Some files marked “Official Sensitive” relating to the inner workings of the HMS Anson, the UK Royal Navy’s advanced nuclear-powered “hunter-killer” submarine of the Astute-class, worth £1.3Bln, were left behind in the pub’s loo.

Incidentally, The Furness Railway, which is described as having attracted quite a crowd that day, is just a stone’s throw away from BAE Systems' shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, where the submarine was commissioned.

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📹 Watch footage of an aerial battle between Russian and Ukrainian drones near Donetsk in the Avdeevka direction.

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❗️Moscow to lodge protest with Warsaw over seizure of Russian Embassy school building, Russia will respond to actions of Polish officials and police, who burst into school, Russian ambassador says

⚡️Representatives of Warsaw City Hall, accompanied by police, arrived at the school building of the Russian Embassy. The authorities began to break down the door after the embassy staff refused to open it, according to a Sputnik correspondent

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