European Commission report ‘completely ineffective as an enforcement tool’, according to civil liberties organisation
The yearly rule of law reports were launched five years ago and are presented by the commission as a key weapon in its armoury against democratic backsliding, including corruption and attacks on independent media and judiciary, across the union.
But Liberties, an EU-wide network of civil liberties organisations, pointed on Monday to several “significant deficiencies” and said “swift and decisive action” was now essential if the commission was to be able to uphold the rule of law in the bloc.
“The commission’s annual rule of law report is certainly useful for detecting violations – it’s effective as a monitoring exercise,” said Viktor Kazai, Liberties’ rule of law expert. “It has country-specific recommendations; that’s great.”
Issued in July, this year’s report – which was particularly critical of declining media freedoms in Italy – was reportedly delayed by Ursula von der Leyen as she sought support from Rome for re-election as president of the bloc’s executive.
Imagine the cops in Uvalde TX blocking parents from entering the school to stop the school shooter.
They are not directly attacking the children, but they are protecting the shooter from being stopped. Defending Israel is that times a thousand.
The THAAD systems are not defending civilian areas but Israeli military bases. To make matters worse almost all the weapons used by Israel are made in the USA.
Indeed. Israel will only come to a diplomatic solution when they cannot win militarily. This has always been the case in the past.
Preventing a military Israeli defeat prolongs the Israeli aggression.
TSMC third-quarter profit seen jumping 40% on strong AI chip demand
TAIPEI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) the main producer of advanced chips used in artificial intelligence applications, is expected to report a 40% leap in third-quarter profit on Thursday thanks to soaring demand.
The world's largest contract chipmaker, whose customers include Apple (AAPL.O) and Nvidia (NVDA.O) has benefited from the surge towards AI.
TSMC is set to report a net profit of T$298.2 billion ($9.27 billion) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, according to a LSEG SmartEstimate drawn from 22 analysts. SmartEstimates give greater weighting to forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.
Video of child burnt alive during the Israeli bombardement on the tent camp NSFW / NSFL: https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1845605042969342208
Tens of injuries and three martyrs have been recorded as "Israel" bombards displaced Palestinians' in a Gazan hospital.
Three Palestinians were killed and over 40 others were injured in the Israeli bombardment of makeshift tents set up by displaced Palestinians on the grounds of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
The Gaza Civil Defense reiterated that not a single safe place in the Strip exists, with the most recent attack against civilians and patients at the hospital serving as additional proof.
As a result of the violent bombings, fires broke out, burning at least 30 tents and civilians sheltering inside. The raging flames had been spreading to the hospital itself as civil defense crews tried to contain them.
The 100 soldiers will operate the missile systems. Maintenance, reloading, target confirmation etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_High_Altitude_Area_Defense
In March 2019, Bravo Battery, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (B-2 THAAD), 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade[55] was deployed at Nevatim Airbase during a joint US-Israeli drill, after which it was to be moved to an undisclosed location in the Negev desert in southern Israel.[56] The X-Band radar system, which is part of the THAAD system, has been deployed at Nevatim since 2008.[57]
On October 13, 2024, the Pentagon announced it will send an air defense system along with about 100 U.S. troops to operate it. The deployment comes after two direct missile attacks from Iran against Israel on April 13 and Oct. 1.
THAAD can be overwhelmed just as Israel's own missile systems. There was has been a THAAD system in Israel since 2019 so it already failed during Iran's retaliation.
The US is sending around 100 US troops with the new system so there will be additional interception capabilities. But it remains unlikely this will affect a saturation missile attack.
The New Atheist movement led by figures such as Richard Dawkins have recently changed their mind from "all religions bad" to "Islam bad".
This affirm previous suspicions that the most hardcore atheists were simply Islamophobes. Coincidentally they are also the staunchest deniers of the genocide in Gaza.
Three dead, 67 injured in Hezbollah drone attack on IOF Haifa base
A drone strike launched from Lebanon kills several Israeli soldiers and wounds dozens of others in a military base in Haifa.
A drone attack on an Israeli military base in Binyamina, south of Haifa, has killed three Israelis and wounded 67 others, according to Israeli media.
Notably, Israeli air defense systems failed to detect the drone, which detonated without triggering air raid sirens in the area, as confirmed by Israeli media outlets.
The strike reportedly targeted the dining hall at a base belonging to the Golani Brigade.
It was reported that 50 ambulances rushed to the scene to transport the casualties, with helicopters also being called in.
The Pentagon has confirmed it is sending a THAAD missile defence system and US troops to Israel, publicly acknowledging that US troops will be on the ground assisting in Israel's defence.
Musk said the company would start building the fully autonomous “Cybercab” by 2026 at a price of less than $30,000, and showed off a van he claimed was capable of transporting 20 people around town autonomously – which he said would reshape cities by turning car parks into parks.
$30,000 for a fully autonomous bus?
How are Biden's vitals though
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-israel-sign-38-billion-military-aid-package-idUSKCN11K2CI/
According to a White House "fact sheet," the deal includes:
-annual payments of $3.3 billion in so-called foreign military financing
You mean the ISIS which appeared after America invaded Iraq, destroyed it, and backed violent rebel groups with weapons?
Must be that "Islamic extremism" again.
There are multiple forms of colonialism. The term settler colonialism' is relatively new.
Settler colonialism is a logic and structure of displacement by settlers, using colonial rule, over an environment for replacing it and its indigenous peoples with settlements and the society of the settlers.
Practically every example you will find is Europeans getting on a boat and killing natives. The most famous example is Manifest Destiny also known as America.
Genocide is not a core tenant in the Jewish faith. To say all Jews are Zionists is incredibly antisemitic.
The Muslims conquered land and replaced its government, they did not murder and replace their entire population. This is why countries like Somalia are filled with black people who are Muslims and not Arabs.
Mohamed Salah has Egyptian ancestry. He is not a random Arab Muslim claiming that Egypt was Arab.
Settler colonization and replacing everything with 'superior white people' is a rather modern European tradion
A Dodge Ram 1500 is bigger than a Panzer I tank and campaigners say heavy trucks are ‘lethal’ in collisions
The engines rev, the guitars thrum and a gruff narrator lays out why the vehicle occupying the driveway is more than just a machine. “A truck is a tool,” he says, “but a Ram – a Ram is life.”
So begins an advert for the Ram 1500, a pickup truck slightly bigger than the Panzer I tanks of Nazi Germany and almost as heavy. It is growing in popularity in Europe, with the number of Rams arriving on the continent up 20% in 2023 from the year before, according to registration data from the European Environment Agency. Road safety and environmental campaigners in the UK and Europe are aghast as the latest, most extreme cases of North American car bloat – giant pickup trucks – are increasingly crossing the Atlantic.
“Europe should ban the Ram,” said Dudley Curtis from the European Transport Safety Council. “This type of vehicle is excessively heavy, tall and powerful, making it lethal in collisions with normal-sized vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.”
Defending the middle east against people who own the oil 😎
It was already thousands of years old. The British destroyed more artifacts than they "saved".
Yes an arms embargo net her an easy win.
The Jewish community does not care about sending infinite weapons to Netanyahu.
Instigate the "violent demonstration". Then quickly walk away. A timeless classic.
Kamala Harris can win over all of those Jill Stein voters with a single sentence.
Stupid Jill Stein's entire campaign is based on the premise that Democrats would keep a genocide going for an entire year into election season.
Exclusive: Stop Israel from bombing Iran's oil sites, Gulf states urge US
As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, the three sources close to government circles said.
The moves by the Gulf states come after a diplomatic push by non-Arab Shi'ite Iran to persuade its Sunni Gulf neighbours to use their influence with Washington amid rising concerns Israel could target Iran's oil production facilities.
During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia it could not guarantee the safety of the Gulf kingdom's oil facilities if Israel were given any assistance in carrying out an attack, a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat told Reuters.
Israeli strike kills 5 rescue workers in south Lebanon, Lebanese authorities say
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, Oct 10 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike killed five emergency workers in southern Lebanon, the health ministry said on Thursday, as Israel pressed its major offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah and warned Lebanese civilians in the south not to return home.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said contacts were under way between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire, an apparent reference to diplomatic efforts to clinch a truce which Israel rejected last month. There was no immediate comment from Washington or Paris.
Exclusive: Musk's X to dodge requirements of landmark EU tech rules, sources say
BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's X will not be designated as a gatekeeper under landmark EU tech rules known as the Digital Markets Act which would have subjected it to an onerous list of obligations, people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
The European Commission, which opened an investigation into online social media platform X in May, will announce its decision next week, the people said.
The EU competition enforcer declined to comment. X, formerly known as Twitter, had previously told the Commission that even though it met the criterion regarding the number of users to be classified as a gatekeeper, it does not qualify for the other criterion as an important gateway between businesses and consumers.
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok owner ByteDance and Booking.com, have been designated as gatekeepers, among others.
Israeli troops fire at 3 UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon, U.N. source says
BEIRUT, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to a U.N. source who was not immediately able to specify the type of fire.
The source said one of the locations fired at was UNIFIL's main base at Naqoura. There was no official statement from UNIFIL or immediate comment from the Israeli military.
UNIFIL had said on Sunday that it was "deeply concerned by recent activities" by the Israeli military near a peacekeeper position in southwestern Lebanon.
In a letter to Israel's military dated Oct. 3 and seen by Reuters, UNIFIL had objected to Israeli military vehicles and troops positioning themselves "in immediate proximity" to U.N. positions, "thereby endangering the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises".
Turkey blocks instant messaging platform Discord
ISTANBUL, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Turkey has blocked access to instant messaging platform Discord in line with a court decision after the platform refused to share information demanded by Ankara, Turkish authorities said on Wednesday.
The San Francisco-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Turkey's Information Technologies and Communication Authority published the access ban decision on its website. Justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said an Ankara court decided to block access to Discord from Turkey due to sufficient suspicion that crimes of "child sexual abuse and obscenity" had been committed by some using the platform.
Incumbent wins 90.7 percent of the vote in an election described as a foregone conclusion and marked by a record abstention rate
Incumbent Saied, accused by the opposition and civil society of authoritarianism, was re-elected with an overwhelming majority of 90.7 percent of ballots in a vote considered a foregone conclusion and rigged by the authorities.
The election was marked by a record abstention rate. The voter turnout was 28.8 percent, the lowest since the introduction of democracy in 2011, following the ousting of longtime autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
Some social media users also denounced the role played by the international community in Tunisia's autocratic drift, especially the European Union, which is accused of turning a blind eye to Saied's illiberal turn in exchange for his cooperation in preventing migration to Europe.
Irish-led Unifil troops have defied Israeli demands to evacuate but fear possible expansionist aims
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have been growing increasingly concerned by the activities of the Israeli army in areas adjacent to their operations.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) was established in 1978 and since the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, it is the only military force apart from the Lebanese army that should be deployed between the Israeli border and the Litani River, 30 kilometres north of the border.
Israel ordered Unifil to evacuate its bases in the areas it was operating - however, it refused.
Now, Israel has reportedly established a forward operating base within very close proximity to UN Post 6-52, which is staffed by Irish peacekeepers, raising alarm from the organisation about the possible threat to their activities.
The Israeli army has admitted that two soldiers were killed and 24 others injured in a drone strike launched from Iraq early Thursday morning.
The Israeli military spokesperson announced, under the "permitted to publish" clause, that two soldiers from the Golani Brigade, Battalion 13, were killed when a drone launched from Iraq exploded in a military base in the Golan.
The Israeli Army Radio said there was no prior warning to the soldiers as an (Iraqi) drone exploded inside a base, killing two soldiers and wounding 24 others from the Golani Brigade, detailing that the drone entered the Golan Heights airspace on Wednesday night coming from Iraq.The radars failed to detect it, it maintained
Leaked cables and emails show how the agency’s top officers dismissed internal evidence of Israelis misusing American-made bombs and worked around the clock to rush more out while the Gaza death toll mounted.
Last week, ProPublica detailed how the government’s two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance concluded in the spring that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza and that weapons sales should be halted.
The records and interviews also show that the pressure to keep the arms pipeline moving also comes from the U.S. military contractors who make the weapons. Lobbyists for those companies have routinely pressed lawmakers and State Department officials behind the scenes to approve shipments both to Israel and other controversial allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia.
When one company executive pushed his former subordinate at the department for a valuable sale, the government official reminded him that strategizing over the deal might violate federal lobbying laws, emails show.
In one previously unreported memo from November, a group of experts across multiple bureaus said they had not been consulted before several policy decisions about arms transfers immediately after Oct. 7 and that there was no effective vetting process in place to evaluate the repercussions of those sales.
That memo, too, seemed to have little impact. In the early stages of the war, State Department staff worked overtime, often after hours and through weekends, to process Israeli requests for more arms. Some in the agency have thought the efforts showed an inappropriate amount of attention on Israel.
The Israelis, however, felt different. In late December, just before Christmas, staff in the arms transfers bureau walked into their Washington, D.C., office and found something unusual waiting for them: cases of wine from a winery in the Negev Desert, along with personalized letters on each bottle.
The gifts were courtesy of the Israeli embassy.
US port workers and operators reach deal to end East Coast strike immediately
U.S. dock workers and port operators reached a tentative deal that will immediately end a crippling three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast, the two sides said Thursday.
The tentative agreement is for a wage hike of around 62% over six years, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, including a worker on the picket line who heard the announcement. That would raise average wages to about $63 an hour from $39 an hour over the life of the contract.
The deal ends the biggest work stoppage of its kind in nearly half a century, which blocked unloading of container ships from Maine to Texas and threatened shortages of everything from bananas to auto parts, triggering a backlog of anchored ships outside major ports.
Russia urges its citizens to leave Israel immediately
Russia has urged its citizens to leave Israel immediately, following the escalating military tensions with both Hezbollah and Iran.
Yesterday, Anatoly Viktorov, Moscow’s ambassador to Tel Aviv, recommended that Russian nationals depart Israel without delay.
“We advise our citizens currently in Israel to seriously consider leaving the area,” Viktorov added.