Notable
It's magical.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-lockheed-martin-agree-on-30-bln-f-35-jet-deal
Pentagon, Lockheed Martin agree on $30 bln F-35 jet deal
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have agreed on the prices and quantities of new F-35 fighter jets that will be purchased over the next three years as per a company spokesperson.
On Monday, US media reported that the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin had reached an agreement worth approximately $30 billion for 375 F-35 fighter jets.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said later, on Monday, that "through a collaborative effort with the F-35 enterprise, including the Joint Program Office, suppliers, and teammates, we have successfully reached an agreement on Lots 15 through 17."
"In the midst of continued COVID-19 impacts and decreased F-35 quantities, the F-35 enterprise was able to achieve a cost per jet lower than record-breaking inflation trends," the spokesperson added.
Final prices, the number of F-35 jets to be sold, and which countries will purchase the aircraft will be disclosed when the agreement is officially inked, according to the spokesperson.
The handshake agreement comes as the aviation industry gathered for the return of the Farnborough Airshow, hoping for a show of confidence following the devastation of COVID-19.
Lockheed began to warn that the cost of the jet would rise as economies of scale dwindled and supply chains faltered.
A pre-pandemic forecast for this three-year purchase indicated that 485 jets could be included, but the 22 percent volume reduction would undoubtedly affect the overall cost of the F-35A, the most common version of the jet.
A previous three-year "block buy" signed by the Pentagon in 2019 was for 478 F-35 fighter jets, allowing Lockheed to buy larger quantities of components, reducing costs by about 8%, to $34 billion.
According to Lockheed executives, any country with an F-16 jet, the F-35's predecessor, is a potential customer.
It is worth noting that foreign military sales, such as the F-35, are classified as government-to-government transactions in which the Pentagon serves as an intermediary between the defense contractor and a foreign government.
The F-35 jet program accounts for approximately 27% of Lockheed's revenue.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-sabotaged-venezuelan-oil-facilities:-ruling-party-leader
US sabotaged Venezuelan oil facilities: Ruling party leader
The United States sabotaged state-run Venezuelan oil facilities, United Socialist Party of Venezuela leader Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday.
Venezuelan Petroleum Minister Tareck El Aissami said Sunday that a gas pipeline for the Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) energy firm in the northern state of Carabobo was subjected to an attack that triggered a fire at one of its sites.
The country's authorities said last month that there was an attempt at sabotaging the El Palito oil refinery in Carabobo, which could have inflicted "catastrophic damage" on the potentially affected facilities.
A month earlier, a massive fire broke out at the Cardon refinery in the northern state of Falcon in May.
"This is part of the US imperialism policy: attacking oil facilities, sending mercenaries here, some of whom were detained, while others were convicted of the coup attempt and murder in our country. These are US government envoys," Cabello told a press conference in Caracas on Monday.
Cabello then stressed that the recent sabotage carried out at the PDVSA pipelines showed that Washington knows no bounds when it comes to its goal to destabilize the situation in Venezuela.
"Such events should teach us that imperialism does not rest. They would like to see us torn apart and begging for mercy. It will not happen because our nation is not used to it; our nation does not give up," he said.
Cabello stressed that his country's security authorities will respond accordingly to any act of aggression carried out against Venezuela on Venezuelan soil.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had previously accused outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duque of being implicated in attacks on the oil and electricity infrastructure of Venezuela.
Maduro in early June called on the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela to raise their alert levels in order to face potential threats against the country.
During a promotion ceremony for the professional military personnel of the presidential honor guard and Directorate-General for Combating Military Espionage, Maduro accused the outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duque of taking out vengeance on Venezuela, warning that the country must remain vigilant.
Maduro pointed out in April that Colombian President "Ivan Duque has activated joint plans with criminals and gangs," adding that infiltrating groups of criminals will "attack the police and military first" after crossing the Colombia-Venezuela border.
Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Colombia in February 2019 after an attempt by opposition activists led by Juan Guaido to truck humanitarian aid across the border. The Venezuelan government said this was an invasion attempt.
Caracas has repeatedly accused Bogota of consistently destabilizing the internal situation in Venezuela by means of "attempted invasions" and the infiltration of armed terrorist groups across the border.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lebanon-top-judge-raids-central-bank-in-search-of-chief
Lebanon top judge raids Central Bank in search of chief
Mount Lebanon's state prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, entered the Lebanese Central Bank on Tuesday, carrying out a judicial order in search of Banque du Liban's governor, Riad Salameh.
"I am in the Lebanese Central Bank in the implementation of a judicial order," Judge Aoun told Al Mayadeen from the bank's premises. "We carried out a judicial order to evacuate the Central Bank's premises."
Lebanese security forces took to the vicinity of the bank and blocked off all of its entrances, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Beirut reported.
A source said that were they to find BDL governor Riad Salameh in the building, he would have been arrested. However, Judge Aoun said after leaving the bank that he was not on the premises.
The Lebanese General Security Forces had raided one of Salameh's homes in June at the order of Judge Aoun and due to a subpoena issued against him over corruption charges and economic mismanagement, as well as being behind actions linked to the Lebanese financial crisis.
State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat wrapped up the preliminary investigation related to Riad Salameh's case, and he referred the case to the Public Prosecution in Beirut, an official in the Lebanese judiciary said. "Judge Oueidat demanded that Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, the director of his office, Marianne Hoywayek, and others be prosecuted."
The official clarified that the demand came over suspicion of the individuals' involvement in embezzlement of public funds, forgery and money laundering, smuggling of funds, tax evasion, and illicit enrichment.
>> Best movie ever.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-demolishes-palestinian-al-araqib-village-for-204th-ti
'Israel' demolishes Palestinian Al-Araqib village for 204th time
The Israeli occupation forces demolished Tuesday the Arabic Al-Araqib village located in Al-Naqab, occupied Palestine, for the 204th time since 2010.
"The Israeli authorities raided the village and demolished its homes for the 204th time," a member of the local committee in defense of Al-Araqib said. "The people will rebuild their village."
The last time that the Israeli occupation demolished the village's homes, where 22 families live, was in late June.
The Israeli occupation forces demolished the village for the first time in July 2010. Ever since, whenever the villagers rebuild their homes, the IOF demolishes them.
The Israeli occupation does not recognize the Palestinian village, but its people insist on adhering to their land in which they are deeply rooted despite the continuous demolitions and violations.
In its latest report, the Israeli Zochrot NGO stated that "Tel Aviv" was working to expel the residents of the village, with the aim of controlling their lands, noting that "Israel" does not recognize dozens of other villages in Al-Naqab and refuses to provide any services to them.
Dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip participated in early June in a solidarity rally with the residents of Al-Araqib after it was demolished for the 202nd time.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/what-arms-is-israel-selling-morocco
What arms is 'Israel' selling Morocco?
Israeli occupation forces Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi landed in Morocco on Monday in his first official visit to Rabat since the North African Arab state normalized ties with the occupation in 2020.
"Israel" and Morocco have had covert security ties for decades, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper said.
The occupation's Mossad intelligence agency was operating in Rabat, the newspaper added. After the 1967 war, "Tel Aviv" sold its surplus of French arms and military equipment to Morocco, especially tanks and artillery systems.
According to the Israeli outlet, Israeli military experts went to Morocco to help Rabat against the Polisario Front fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.
Haaretz then went on to report on all the weapons systems "Israel" sold to Morocco over the past few years, from drones to cyberweapons:
IAI Heron and IAI Harop UAVs
In 2014, Morocco signed a $50 million deal for three IAI Heron UAVs from the Israel Aerospace Industries. The drones entered service in the Moroccan army several years ago and were reportedly intended for use against the Polisario Front.
Later on, in November 2021, the Israeli occupation sold an IAI Harop UAV to Morocco. Contrary to all the other unmanned aerial vehicles developed to return to base, the Harop is a loitering munition that self-destructs into its targets.
The sale followed a joint security understandings agreement between Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz and Moroccan Defense Minister Abd Al-Latif Lodi. The agreement formalized security ties between "Tel Aviv" and Rabat.
Air defense system
The Israel Aerospace Industries was reported as intending to provide Morocco with an integrated air defense system against a wide variety of air threats, such as helicopters, fighter jets, UAVs, and cruise missiles.
"The Gulf is interested in this defense system within the framework of a regional alliance with Israel," Haaretz said.
Security cooperation
Menadefense published in 2018 footage from a police parade in Morocco that showed policemen armed with the Israeli X95 Tavor, a 9mm submachine gun.
Espionage
Rabat and "Tel Aviv" have also been found to be cooperating with the Israeli occupation in the field of espionage and cyberwarfare.
The Israeli NSO Group's Pegasus became a problematic icon of the Israeli offensive cyber industry, Haaretz said. "The sale of Pegasus to Morocco led to a diplomatic row with France after it was revealed that among the targets of the cyberattacks were ministers in Macron's government."
NSO Group had been under fire after an investigation by The Washington Post and 16 media partners found that military-grade spyware leased by NSO Group to governments was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and business executives.
Kochavi had pointed out that there were developments in the ties between "Israel" and Morocco, especially after it was agreed that the Israeli occupation forces participate as observers in the international military exercises in Morocco.
"Israeli officers, wearing their military uniforms and the Israeli flag, participated in military exercises in Morocco in June […] We will exercise together and develop our security and intelligence cooperation," Kochavi said.
>> also: https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/popular-protests-against-the-iof-chiefs-visit-to-morocco
Dasting
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/beijing-to-take-forceful-measures-if-us-house-speaker-visits
Beijing to take 'forceful measures' if US House Speaker visits Taiwan
The Chinese government warned Tuesday that it would take forceful measures if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan after reports emerged about the Democrat going to the island in August.
A Financial Times report said Pelosi will be heading a delegation that will tour East Asia, visiting Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. They will then spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific command.
China had warned against the visit in April when Pelosi was supposed to embark on her tour, saying it would have a severe impact on Sino-US relations. However, the tour was postponed due to the House speaker testing positive for Covid-19 at the time.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said any visit by Pelosi would "seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"If the US side obstinately clings to this course, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. "The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences caused by this."
The White House had voiced concern about the trip, FT said, citing three people familiar with the situation. The paper also quoted two sources as saying there were divisions in the Biden administration over whether the visit should be made.
Reports about the visit came a day after China asked Washington to cancel a prospective sale of arms and military equipment to Taiwan worth an estimated $108 million.
Beijing warned in early June the United States of "serious consequences" for its support for "separatist forces" in Taiwan amid US Senator Tammy Duckworth's visit to the island.
Senator Duckworth is the chair of the US Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland. She arrived in Taiwan in late May for a three-day visit as part of a tour in the Indo-Pacific region and met with President Tsai Ing-wen. It was her second visit to Taiwan this year.
Beijing's foreign ministry has reiterated on numerous occasions that the one-China principle was a political foundation of US-Sino relations, explaining that the US violated its own obligations and has been jeopardizing bilateral cooperation as well as peace and stability in the region.
Despite having stated that the US will not change its policy regarding China, President Joe Biden angered Beijing by appearing to signal a change in the US policy of "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan. In a contradictory statement, Biden noted a week ago that "We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it… but the idea that (Taiwan) can be taken by force is just not appropriate," as the one-China policy states that Taiwan is a part of the sovereign mainland.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/china-demands-cancellation-of-major-us-arms-deal-with-taiwan
China demands cancellation of major US arms deal with Taiwan
On Monday, Beijing's foreign and defense ministries issued harsh statements condemning the Biden administration's approval of a new US arms sale to Taiwan.
The Biden administration announced Friday a $108 million agreement to supply Taipei with tank and other combat vehicle equipment, as well as logistical support. The package of arms comes amid rising tension in the region.
According to Chinese media, the deal drew a swift rebuke from Beijing, which demanded that the order be canceled.
Commenting on the deal, Defense Ministry spokesperson Colonel Tan Kefei said that Beijing “demands” that the United States “immediately withdraw the above-mentioned arms sales plan to Taiwan,” as well as suspending all other arms deals and severing military ties with the island.
“Otherwise, the US side will be solely responsible for undermining the relationship between China and the US and the two militaries and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” he tersely stated.
“The Chinese People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart any form of external interference and separatist attempts for ‘Taiwan independence’,” he added.
On his account, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, also reiterated that Washington's arms supplies "gravely undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, as well as severely harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
“China will continue to take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security interests,” Wang added.
The US rushed to dismiss China's concerns later Monday, stating on the behalf of State Department spokesperson Ned Price that the US has certain obligations to provide Taiwan with the means to "defend itself."
“Under the Taiwan Relations Act, we make available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. This is something that successive administrations have done. It is entirely consistent with our One China policy,” said Price.
A look back
Taiwan has been ruled by nationalists who fled to the island after the Chinese mainland's civil war ended in 1949. Under the One China policy, Beijing considers the 23.5 million-person island to be part of its own territory.
China has recently increased maritime and aerial military activity around the island, citing the need to deter "collusion activities" between "Taiwan independence forces" and the US government.
While Washington officially supports the One China policy, it maintains strong unofficial ties with Taipei, selling weapons to the island and tacitly encouraging its push for sovereignty. Beijing has repeatedly condemned US’ actions, viewing them as provocations and meddling in Chinese domestic affairs.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/feds-tracking-phone-locations-with-third-party-data
Feds tracking phone locations with third party data
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) unveiled in previously unreleased records that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been acquiring location data of its targets from third parties to avert requiring a warrant to pursue a certain person of interest.
The documents show that DHS is not alone in purchasing its way around the US constitution, as agencies such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were able to purchase tons of location data without any oversight before using it to track the movements of millions of cellphones within the United States.
Though technically not a violation of the constitution, the practice is incredibly shady.
Obtaining data about communication within the United States from telecommunication providers requires the agency seeking to acquire the data to obtain a warrant, which must be approved by a judge. However, there is no law against buying data from brokers and shady third-party companies that are not subjected to any constraints.
For a small sum of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, federal and law enforcement agencies can get unrestricted access to every US citizen's privacy and gather personal data about them that they would otherwise be unable to access.
The vast amounts of location data disclosed in the released documents show that the US government has gone to extents never expected before and it indicates that federal agencies are carrying out an even larger acquisition of location data behind the scenes.
The ACLU was granted access to the documents under the freedom of information laws after they and the NYCLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records from CBP, ICE, and other parts of the DHS about their purchasing of cell phone location data.
The revelations made by the lawsuit include a set of spreadsheets containing the location data purchased from Venntel, a telecom data broker, with an analysis finding that for one three-day span in 2018, the records contained 113,654 locations points, more than 26 points recorded per minute.
Due to the data's confinement to a geographic area in the Southwest, it is proven to be only a fraction of the actual volume of data obtained by federal agencies.
Emails between Venntel and the ICE show that the third-party firm claimed to have collected location data from some 250 million mobile devices and processed more than 15 billion location data points every 24 hours.
The documents also revealed that another data broker, Babel Street, garners location data by paying developers to code its code into mobile apps, which goes unbeknownst to users as the apps send data back to the company's servers.
"The Supreme Court has made clear that because our cell phone location history reveals so many 'privacies of life,' it is deserving of full Fourth Amendment protection," said Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.
"Yet, here we see data brokers and government agencies tying themselves in knots trying to explain how people can lack an expectation of privacy in such obviously personal and sensitive location information. With the potential for abuse so high, Congress must step in to definitively end this practice," he added.
Phone-tracking companies have long been mired in location data-related controversy. Ahead of the start of the war in Ukraine, two unknown American firms met to explore a prospective surveillance alliance that would combine the capacity to follow the movements of billions of people through their phones with a steady feed of data acquired straight from Twitter.
Anomaly Six, a Virginia-based firm founded in 2018 by two ex-military intelligence officials, eavesdropped on the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) using their own smartphones against them.
The company is one of many that buys massive amounts of location data, tracking hundreds of millions of people all over the world by taking advantage of smartphone apps harvesting location data and transferring it to advertisers.
According to public records, US Special Operations Command paid Anomaly Six $590,000 in September 2020 for a year of access to the firm's "commercial telemetry feed."
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eu-military-support-for-ukraine-leaves-the-bloc-vulnerable
EU military support for Ukraine leaves the bloc 'vulnerable'
The European Union's military support for Ukraine has left it short of ammunition, artillery, defense systems, and battle vehicles, according to a press conference headed by EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton on Tuesday. The lack of weaponry created significant weaknesses for the EU, added the commissioner.
"EU countries have responded to Ukraine's call and supported it with weapons. However, arms deliveries to Ukraine have drained European stocks of ammunition, heavy and light artillery, air defense and anti-tank systems, as well as armored vehicles and tanks. This shortage creates a situation of vulnerability that must be addressed as a matter of urgency. The new tool we are proposing today will allow for a partial restoration of weapons stocks," Breton said during a press conference.
The European Commission had earlier in the day recommended allocating 500 million euros to restock weapon supplies in EU nations, noting that the new tool aimed to acquire weapons on behalf of all member nations of the union.
"Today we are taking a historic step forward in European defense integration. As war rages on at Europe's borders, we are responding to the call of EU Heads of State by presenting today a new instrument to support, at the European level, the joint acquisition of weapons. In addition to helping replenish part of the stocks following the transfer of arms to Ukraine, we are creating an incentive through the EU budget for the Member States to buy together. Europe's defense is making great strides."
According to reports, Western nations have transferred or committed to providing Kiev with over $10 billion in military assistance since the start of the Ukraine war. This assistance included everything from weapons to ammunition.
>> Keking hard!
Religious capital of the Bloodlines = burning
Financial capital of the Bloodlines = burning
Military capital of the Bloodlines = ?
This is not corruption.