https://english.almayadeen.net/news/miscellaneous/dozens-of-migrant-children-reported-missing-in-houston:-reut

Dozens of migrant children reported missing in Houston: Reuters

Houston police raised concerns about a trend of migrant children reported missing in Texas City, according to Reuters.

Simultaneously, federal and local officials are reportedly struggling to locate close to a dozen unaccompanied migrant children, the report said.

The grim cases shed the light once again on Biden’s failure to deal with the immigration crisis in the US, most notably as a record number of unaccompanied minors are arriving at the southwest border.

A Houston police detective alerted the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this summer after discovering what appeared to be a pattern of migrant children missing from the homes of their US sponsors, a source within HHS told Reuters.

It is worth noting that the HHS is the federal agency in charge of the custody and release of children who have crossed the US-Mexico border without the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

In an unprecedented move, the HHS refugee office implemented an emergency supervisory review of unaccompanied child releases to non-parent sponsors in the Houston area in August, as per Reuters.

The HHS discovered that 57 unaccompanied migrant children had gone missing in Houston since late last year. The count included nine children who escaped from HHS shelters in the Houston area.

The news agency quoted the HHS official as claiming that 46 of them were safe as of August 26.

Authorities claim to have found no evidence of sex or labor trafficking thus far, as per the report.

The report added that some of the missing children who have been found are now 18 years old or older.

A few left the homes of relatives acting as sponsors to join parents in the United States, according to the official, who added that the number of cases being reviewed is small in comparison to the overall volume of releases to the area.

Houston's Harris County, Texas, is considered the No. 1 stop for unaccompanied minors, with over 6,300 released between October 2021, when this fiscal year began, and June 2022.

Since Biden took office in January 2021, more than 200,000 non-Mexican minors who cannot be quickly turned around at the border have been caught crossing alone.

At the beginning of Biden’s presidency, an increase in unaccompanied minors overwhelmed Border Patrol stations, trapping children in overcrowded conditions for more than 72 hours.

Children are released to more distant relatives or unrelated adults who have been vetted in some cases (about 15% of all releases in the fiscal year 2022 so far), according to data provided by HHS.

An official with the HHS inspector general's office said, as quoted by Reuters, that he had never seen such a large number of unaccompanied minors reported missing in one area.

The official has also noted that it has been unclear whether the trend was new or had been discovered recently by the Houston Police Department.

On its account, the city's police department said it was "currently conducting investigations into reports of missing, unaccompanied juveniles".

The HHS found dozens of children had been released to similar addresses, which can be a red flag for possible trafficking, the HHS official said as quoted by Reuters.

Approximately 60 cases for release had been exposed to additional review, with 53 of those cases cleared for release as of Aug. 26, according to the same source.

Despite all this, releases from HHS custody were halted last year in and around the southern Alabama town of Enterprise.

According to three sources familiar with the investigations as quoted by Reuters, an HHS investigation at the time was focused on whether minors were being exploited for labor by traffickers.

In short, Biden’s arrival at the White House came with promises of a more human approach toward migrants, which led to an increase in the flow of immigrants trying to cross the US-Mexico border. Nevertheless, Biden immediately displayed a radically different approach, treating immigrants in the same fashion, if not even worse, than his openly-racist Republican predecessor Donald Trump.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/japanese-yen-dips-below-dollar-to-lowest-level-in-24-years

Japanese yen dips below dollar to lowest level in 24 years

The Japanese yen has dived to its lowest level against the US dollar since August 1998, prompting the government to consider intervention.

The currency pair broke through the key psychological level of 140 yen against the US dollar on Thursday.

While many Asian central banks have raised borrowing costs to match that of the US, Japan has not.

To support economic recovery, the Bank of Japan has maintained ultra-low interest rates, which is one of the reasons the yen has fallen in value against the US dollar and other major currencies.

Higher interest rates are more likely to attract foreign investment, increasing demand for and the value of currencies from higher-interest-rate countries.

Simultaneously, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday that the government would take "appropriate" action to stem the yen's decline.

"Excessive, disorderly currency moves could have a negative impact on the economy and financial conditions," Suzuki told reporters.

However, Dwyfor Evans of State Street Global Markets said, as quoted by BBC, that efforts to improve the value of the yen "could prove futile" due to the disparity in interest rates between Japan and the rest of the world.

The Bank of Japan last intervened in currency markets in 2011, following the Fukushima nuclear disaster caused by an earthquake and tsunami.

It is worth noting that the yen was trading around 140.35 against the dollar at midday Friday in Asia.

The yen has been in freefall for months, especially in light of the US Fed aggressively hiking interest rates to try and mitigate the soaring inflation. The current financial situation is expected to maintain its momentum through the coming period as the US grapples with several issues, including the sanctions on Russia that have been causing supply cuts, surging gas prices, and rising food prices.

>>17482939

What about that clock?

Watch the clock. Perfect scenario for that.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/trudeau-to-probe-isis-trafficking-claims-against-canadian-sp

Trudeau to probe ISIS trafficking claims against Canadian spy

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that he will further investigate child trafficking allegations raised against a spy working for Ottawa's intelligence services, which say the spy trafficked British school girls into the hands of ISIS in Syria.

At least one of the victims of the child trafficking crimes covered up by the Canadian police and the British security services, Shamima Begum, 15, was married to an ISIS militant in Syria.

Begum, along with her schoolmates, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, met with a man called Mohammad Al-Rashed in Istanbul, Turkey, before heading to Syria. The British police launched an international search for the three girls at the time.

Rashed served as an informant for the Canadian intelligence, and the body told the Met police that he was linked to them in March 2015, just days after Begum went into Syria to join the ranks of the terrorist organization.

Trudeau defended Ottawa's actions, as customary, saying that intelligence services needed to be "flexible and creative in their approaches … in their work to keep Canada and Canadians safe in a very dangerous world."

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Trudeau said, must abide by Canadian law despite its need for "out-of-the-box thinking". "We expect those rules to be followed," Trudeau underlined. "I know there are questions about certain incidents or operations of the past and we will ensure to follow up on those."

"We will continue to ensure that proper oversight is done and as necessary, look at further steps," the Canadian prime minister added.

The claims against the CSIS were made by Richarch Kerbaj, author of The Secret History of Five Eyes, a book published on Thursday delving into the intelligence network between the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

According to Kerbaj, two CSIS officials met with the head of the Met's counterterrorism department, Richard Walton, in 2015, not too long after Begum disappeared.

The Metropolitan police were conducting thorough searches for the girls, two of whom are dead now.

After then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked Begum's citizenship in 2019, saying she had aligned with ISIS and constituted a danger to the British public, her family's lawyer argued that she was a victim and was trafficked out of the country. The allegations raised against the UK and Canada, suggesting their involvement in her trafficking, could potentially cause a debate over whether she truly deserved to be stripped of her citizenship.

Begum is now 23 years old and lives in a detention camp in northern Syria. She has given birth to three children, all of whom died at a very young age.

Eight women repatriated to France from camps and prisons for militants in Syria were charged with criminal terrorist association in Paris, a judicial source said in early July.

Several women have been accused of abandoning minors, the same source said, while an 18-year-old teenager charged with the same crime has been placed under judicial control.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed a year ago that hundreds of children were incarcerated in prisons for adults in Northeast Syria.

These children, most of which are boys, were transferred from Al-Hol, a desert camp run by Syrian Kurdish militias for 60,000 people from more than 60 countries, due to their ties to ISIS militants.

Ahead of the latest repatriation came the detention of 120 women, and almost 290 minors were detained in Syrian camps controlled by Kurdish militias.

>>17482991

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/myanmars-suu-kyi-sentenced-to-additional-3-years-for-elector

Myanmar's Suu Kyi sentenced to additional 3 years for electoral fraud

Myanmar's deposed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty of electoral fraud on Friday and sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor by a judge, as per a source familiar with the proceedings.

The opposition figure has been imprisoned since a coup in early last year and has already been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. She denies all of the allegations leveled against her.

Aung San Suu Kyi was found to have committed fraud in a general election in November 2020 which her National League for Democracy (NLD) won with an overwhelming legislative majority, trouncing a party formed by the powerful military.

The source, who did not want to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media, stated that it was unclear what hard labor entailed. According to the source, deposed president and co-defendant Win Myint received the same sentence.

The military seized power in February 2021 to prevent Suu Kyi's NLD from forming a new government following an election that the military claimed had instances of fraud that had not been properly investigated.

Suu Kyi, 77, has been detained since the generals toppled her government in a coup on February 1 last year.

She has since been hit with a series of charges, including violating the official secrets act, corruption, and electoral fraud. She faces decades in jail if convicted on all counts.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to "six years imprisonment under four anti-corruption charges," said the source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Each charge carried a maximum of 15 years in jail. Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years for each, but three of the sentences would be served concurrently.

The Nobel laureate had already been sentenced to 11 years in jail for corruption, incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules, and breaking a telecommunications law.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/india-taking-part-in-vostok-2022-us-expresses-concern

India taking part in Vostok 2022, US expresses concern

India has been regularly taking part in multilateral military exercises in Russia, Arindam Bagchi, the Indian foreign ministry spokesman, said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, the US expressed concern about India's reported involvement in the Vostok exercises. At the same time, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokeswoman, said that the final decision on participation in such events remains with the countries.

"The United States has concerns about any country exercising with Moscow while Russia wages an unprovoked, brutal war against Ukraine. But, of course, every participating country will make its own decisions. And I’ll leave it at that," said Jean-Pierre when asked about the Biden administration's reaction to New Delhi's decision considering that India is a partner of the United States and Asia.

Answering the question on the Vostok 2022 multilateral drills, the Indian spokesperson said that "India has been regularly participating in multilateral exercises in Russia along with a number of other countries."

"I understand there will be only army participation in the Vostok exercises this year," Bagchi added, answering about the Indian navy's participation in the Vostok 2022 in the Far East.

The strategic Vostok-2022 military exercises will take place in Russia's Eastern Military District from September 1-7. The drills will involve members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as other partner states. Over 50,000 people, and more than 5,000 units of weapons and military equipment, including 140 aircraft, 60 warships, boats, and support vessels will be involved in the maneuvers.

The grand opening of the Vostok-2022 strategic military exercises took place at the Sergeevsky training ground in Russia's Primorsky Region on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and Tajikistan also delivered welcoming speeches, after which servicemen of the countries participating in the drills marched solemnly.

A look back

In August of last year, Russia and China conducted joint military exercises in north-central China which included over 10,000 troops. Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defense minister, hailed the Sibu/Cooperation-2021 drills in China's Ningxia and suggested they be expanded.

Russia and China conducted joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in October. After a few days, Russian and Chinese warships conducted their first joint patrols in the western Pacific.

Shortly before the war in Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow announced a "no limits" partnership, despite the US failed attempts to push China to join US-led sanctions against Russia right after the start of the war.

It is worth noting that the eastern military district of Russia includes a portion of Siberia and is headquartered in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/british-households-lose-more-purchasing-power-as-gas-prices

British households lose more purchasing power as gas prices soar - IMF

The increasing energy crisis is wreaking havoc on British family budgets more than any other country in Western Europe, according to The Guardian, citing a research by the International Monetary Fund research.

The research also made note of the fact that compared to other countries in Europe, Britain has a far wider disparity in the cost burdens placed on low-income and rich families. This was ascribed to the UK's high reliance on gas to create energy and heat houses during a period of rising gas costs. The IMF also notes that the UK has the least energy-efficient housing in Western Europe.

According to the study, increasing energy costs will cause the typical UK household to lose 8.3% of its overall purchasing power in 2022. The percentage is anticipated to be 4% in Germany and Spain. In all of Europe, only Czech and Estonian households are more affected than UK households.

Energy costs are expected to account for 17.8% of household budgets for the lowest 10% of UK households this year, compared to just 6.1% for the wealthiest 10%. The IMF evaluated 25 European nations, and this divergence of 11.7% points is by far the biggest among them. The gap is 3.9% points in France and 2.5% points in the Netherlands.

Furthermore, in 2022, it is anticipated that the rising cost of other goods would reduce household budgets in Britain by another 2%.

Another study, citing a research paper published by the Institute for Government (IfG), also reported on by The Guardian, on August 28, revealed that Britain may have to spend $27 billion more in subsidies if they are going to cover the surging energy bills in the upcoming heating season.

This statement would entail every British household paying £900 ($1,057.45) more this winter compared to May's estimate. At this rate, according to the IfG, it is estimated that the subsidies will be jumping to £90 billion ($106 billion) next season.

An NHS chief warned, on August 20th, that soaring energy costs will kill more than 10,000 people this winter; a situation the NHS Confederation referred to as a "humanitarian crisis".

The NHS Confederation's letter addressed to Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Steve Barclay warned that health bosses in the UK are witnessing huge suffering in the local communities because of the cost-of-living crisis.

Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, stated in a letter, “Many people could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions," The Birmingham Mail reported.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/german-chancellor:-germany-will-probably-have-to-endure-wint

German Chancellor: Germany will probably have to endure winter

Germany has taken a big package of measures, and even if Russia no longer supplies gas to Germany, the country "probably" can still manage this winter, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday.

Nord Stream 1, the main pipeline supplying Europe with Russian natural gas, was operating at 40% of its capacity since mid-June and at 20% from the end of July. Russian energy giant Gazprom attributed lower volumes to the problems with maintenance and repair of the Siemens turbines.

The pipeline was recently shut down due to maintenance and is expected to resume the flow of gas in three days. The frequent shutdowns are however raising concerns for Germany.

The priority right now is to ensure the supply of energy sources, such as coal, oil, and gas, from Russia, Norway, the Netherlands, and through the Western European direction, according to Scholz.

"However, if Russia halts deliveries, which it keeps reducing, then we can increase deliveries from Norway, the Netherlands, from the Western European direction," Scholz said at a meeting with fellow citizens in the western city of Essen.

Scholz noted that the country is currently building liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the North German coast, on the North and Baltic Seas, as well as pipelines to additionally import products. The first terminals will be launched next January. A decision was also made to fill the country's gas storage facilities. In addition, the government decided to resume the operation of coal-fired power plants.

"And in this regard, we can now say that even if it is very difficult, we can probably manage this winter," the minister emphasized.

During a series of dialogues with citizens, in the format of a city assembly, the official plans to visit all 16 federal states of Germany. The first of these meetings took place in the summer in Lubeck and then in Magdeburg.

In response to the special operation in Ukraine, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign aimed, in particular, at Russian energy resources.

Italy and Germany are now the two largest EU countries most exposed to a gas supply shock due to their extensive use of natural gas and significant reliance on Russia, according to S&P Global Ratings.

On August 8, it was reported that millions of German lower-income households will find it hard to pay their energy bills this winter amid a sharp rise in gas prices, according to Lukas Ievenkotten, head of the German Renters' Association.

Germany has also issued recommendations weeks ago to slow or halt the consumption of gas in order to stock up for the coming winter.

On August 16, German Economy and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck lamented the entirety of the country's business model, dismissing it as reliant on cheap energy imports from Russia that will never return.

Three days ago, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder said negotiations with foreign partners have not yet helped Germany to find an alternative to Russian gas, lamenting that "visits that were made previously — to Qatar, Norway, Canada — did not help to find a replacement."

>>17483104

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/two-no-10-employees-testify-to-tory-mp-sexual-assault

Two No 10 employees testify to Tory MP sexual assault

Reports are surfacing about a cabinet minister and a high-ranking aide to Boris Johnson's government who continue to work normally despite major allegations of sexual misconduct made against them.

Two women personally testified to assaults by political figures, now in senior roles at 10 Downing Street.

The first woman, who was a former parliamentary staff member for the Tories, speaking to Sky News, revealed details of sexual assault by an MP who is now a cabinet minister.

On The Open Secret podcast, she said: “I was sexually assaulted by someone who’s now a cabinet minister, and I was in my early 20s and didn’t really know how to deal with it. I was super drunk. He’s feeding me more wine and I’m already quite obviously tanked.

“After a while, I was like ‘you know, what, would you mind if I just went to bed?’ So I went to bed. But obviously he didn’t leave me alone. And then I woke up the next morning and I realised what had happened.”

The MP that the woman was working for encouraged her to report the incident to the police - however, upon initial discussions with the police, she chose not to go through with the report and also did not issue a formal complaint to the Conservative Party, citing that she was "too scared."

“I was too scared to kickstart that process and risk it spiralling out of control," she said.

One spokesperson for the Conservative Party said: “We have an established code of conduct and complaints procedure where people can report complaints in confidence. We take any complaint seriously.

“If an allegation of criminal wrongdoing is raised, we would always advise the individual to contact the police.”

The second woman, who was a former Conservative party aide working at No 10 at the time, said she was groped by a senior employee, before being appointed to a senior position.

She asserted that she had complained multiple times about the man, yet he remained in his role.

She said: “I heard that he was going to get a job in Downing Street. I raised it with a number of people. Nothing happened. So I then formally complained to the Cabinet Office. I just felt the responsibility to do it again, partly because the office he’s going to be working in is full of women. And I just thought he’d do it again.”

The senior employee's boss, whose name she did not mention, dismissed the allegation upon hearing it, arguing that the accused person was “good looking and had women throwing themselves at him”.

A Labour MP from Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols, told Sky News that making complaints could block job opportunities for women. According to Nichols, “In order to survive in Westminster you do have to rely on that whisper network. Ultimately. It’s never going to be 100% effective. You know, some of the most dangerous people are probably the last people that you’d ever suspect.”

She testified to her own experience as a senior MP: “I have been repeatedly propositioned by an MP who is old enough to be my grandfather and sometimes in front of other colleagues who have either laughed it off or said nothing when he’s done it.

“I know from speaking to other people that, you know, this is not uncommon behaviour for him … It’s something that he clearly feels emboldened to do, that he feels entitled to do.”

In May, a Conservative MP was detained on suspicion of severe sexual offenses, including rape. The arrest of the unnamed guy on Monday came after a two-year investigation, according to Metropolitan Police, and was connected to offenses allegedly committed between 2002 and 2009.

The arrest of the MP happened as a date was set for two byelections caused by the resignation of Conservative MPs. Former Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan was found guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old child, while former Tiverton MP Neil Parish confessed to accessing pornography in the House of Commons chamber.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/former-french-minister-calls-out-zelenskys-propaganda-campai

Former French minister calls out Zelensky's propaganda campaign

Former French minister Segolene Royal condemned Thursday the propaganda campaign carried out by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at preventing peace talks.

"Zelensky's fear-mongering propaganda has two goals," said Royal on BFM television, "The first goal is to motivate his army. When the Ukrainian president talks about torturing soldiers, it should affect the Ukrainian servicemen, mobilize them. It also serves as an obstacle to the peace process."

The former minister further added that propaganda allegations by Kiev are uncorroborated in such a way that "Zelensky talked about the shelling of the maternity hospital, but he could not prove it.”

Royal argued that uncorroborated information and propaganda campaigns must become outlawed. She explained that "It is necessary that the UN and the journalistic community establish a ban on the instrumentalization of fear.”

Royal has twice served in the French government, most recently as the minister of ecology. She also served as France's Arctic and Antarctic ambassador. In 2007, she ran in the presidential elections where she garnered more than 46% of the vote in the second round but was defeated by Nicolas Sarkozy.

Not the first to make such accusations

On August 23, France 2, a broadcaster, apologized after incorrectly referring to a broken chimney pipe on a building near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) as a Russian rocket.

The apology came via their Twitter account and stated that "this news item was produced from images from APTN [Associated Press Television News], an agency to which France Televisions [owner of France 2] is subscribed… By mistake, one of them was misinterpreted. It shows a damaged chimney, not a missile, as stated in the commentary. We apologize to our viewers for this unfortunate error."

The news item was aired on August 10 on the evening news at 8pm local time (18:00 GMT).

The image that raised confusion showed two chimney pipes on the rooftop of one of the buildings that surround the ZNPP. The actual nuclear power plant may be made out in the photograph's backdrop.

Furthermore, a press release, issued on August 4, saw Amnesty International accusing the authorities in Kiev of endangering civilians by setting up army bases in residential areas. The press release saw the organization subjected to a slew of attacks, with many parties saying it was promoting the Russian narrative against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked the agency, accusing it of seeking to shift "the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim."

According to the organization, Kiev has been operating weapons out of bases established in residential areas in the presence of civilians, which breaches rule 23 of Article 58(b) of Additional Protocol I that separates military objectives and civilian populations.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/deposed-former-president-rajapaksa-set-to-return-to-sri-lank

Deposed former president Rajapaksa set to return to Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan defense official told AFP that Sri Lanka’s deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is anticipated to return to the nation on Saturday morning. The deposed President fled the country following protests that came in response to the worsening economic crisis.

The disgraced figure fled to the Maldives on July 13 and left there for Singapore a day later. Rajapaksa resigned by email, Indunil Yapa, the parliament speaker's spokesperson said hours after he landed in Singapore following the protesters' storming of his palace over the weekend.

Shortly after, Rajapaksa fled to Thailand since Singapore refused to extend his 28-day visa. In Bangkok, however, security authorities requested he does not leave his hotel residence as his safety remains at risk.

The official, who chose to remain anonymous, told AFP on September 2nd that the deposed former president “has been living in a Thai hotel as a virtual prisoner and was keen to return,” adding that “We are told he will return very early on Saturday. We have just created a new security division to protect him after his return on Saturday. The unit comprises elements from the army and police commandos.”

According to Sri Lanka’s constitution, former presidents are guaranteed bodyguards, a vehicle, and housing.

In a meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe last month, Rajapaksa's younger brother, Basil, a former finance minister, asked for security guarantees to enable the ousted former president's return.

Rajapaksa’s political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), said in a statement that "Basil Rajapaksa requested the president to make arrangements for the former president to return home."

The economy behind the political turmoil

Sri Lanka has been overpowered with months of lack of food, fuel, and medicine, extended power cuts, and inflation following a foreign exchange crisis that left importers unable to pay for vital goods and a turn of events with the island's former President chased from the country and bankruptcy filed with mounting foreign debt.

July witnessed huge protests in the country, and an angry crowd entered the official residence of Rajapaksa, who as a result fled the island and issued his resignation from Singapore.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) board will need to agree on Thursday's staff agreement, which depends on Sri Lanka finalizing a deal to restructure its $51 billion in foreign debt with creditors. The IMF has set a $2.9 billion bailout amount for the revival of the country's economy.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/13-rescuers-killed-in-ukrainian-shelling:-dpr-officials

13 rescuers killed in Ukrainian shelling: DPR officials

Ukrainian missiles killed at least 13 firefighters, rescuers, and medics in the village of Rubtsy when they hit their living quarters in the middle of the night, according to Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) officials.

DPR emergency ministry chief, Aleksey Kostrubitskiy, said, “It was a targeted missile strike on our unit. All rockets hit residential buildings”, describing the attack as "a war crime that deserves punishment.”

Five of the nine injured first responders are in critical condition, as per Kostrubitskiy.

He also added that three buildings that housed the DPR emergency ministry's staff and equipment were also hit.

Residents of Rubtsy, which has been under Russian control since March, said they heard four to six explosions in the middle of the night.

Horrific videos from the scene showcased a single-story building destroyed and turned to rubble.

On his account, DPR leader Denis Pushilin said that the victims “were not holding weapons. They worked to keep people safe. But we see the true attitude of Kiev towards the people of Donbass. This is the behavior of terrorists. It’s our duty to stop them and punish the criminals.”

The DPR has repeatedly accused Ukraine of shelling Donetsk and other locations with HIMARS.

Three activists of the Molodaya Respublika organization were killed on July 10, and 11 were injured by the shelling of the Ukrainian armed forces against the Shakhtyorsky district in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to DPR head Denis Pushilin.

>>17483468

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-plane-crosses-saudi-airspace-to-south-africa:-israel

Israeli plane crosses Saudi airspace to South Africa: Israeli media

Israeli media reported Friday that an Israeli commercial flight flew over Saudi Arabia's airspace to the South African capital, Johannesburg.

An El Al flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, passed over Saudi Arabia for the first time this morning, shortening the flight path by a few minutes, as per the Israeli website Rotter.

The website also noted that the Israeli airlines are still waiting for the final approval to fly over Oman - which will significantly shorten flights to many destinations.

A few days ago, Israeli media said that "the first flight of the Israeli "Arkia" airline crossed the Saudi airspace on its way to the island of Seychelles."

According to Flight Radar 24 website, which monitors aircraft movement, it was revealed that an Israeli plane landed in the Jordanian capital, Amman, before heading to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, in July, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority decided to "open Saudi airspace to all air carriers," including Israeli carriers, that "meet the requirements for transiting the country's airspace."

On his part, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in July that relations with Saudi Arabia "are not Abrahamic agreements, but a process of normalization. It was important for us that the US administration bears responsibility for this matter as well."

>>17483506

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-panics-at-iran-nuclear-deal-signs-1-bln-deal-with-boe

"Israel" panics at Iran nuclear deal, signs $1 bln deal with Boeing

Once again, "Israel" is fervently arming and militarizing its arsenal with its latest purchase of four multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers from Boeing, valued at $927.5 million. In an article by the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli newspaper describes the deal as "needed for any future action against Iran" against the backdrop of a nuclear deal coming through soon.

The planes will begin arriving in 2025 and are set to replace "Israel's" old set of planes, the Re'em Boeing 707 tankers, that have been in use for over 50 years.

Not only does the deal entail the planes themselves, but also tanker services support, maintenance and repairs, logistics and spares.

The base model of the planes is the veteran Boeing 767 widebody airliner, and they will be built in the headquarters in Seattle.

“This contract further strengthens the US-Israel alliance and continues the decades-long relationship between Boeing and the Israeli Air Force,” said the president of Boeing in "Israel," Ido Nehushtan. Nehushtan is also a past commander for the Israeli aviation forces.

In March 2020, the US Government approved selling eight KC-46 tankers. In February 2021, "Israel" signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for two aircraft, adding two more in December later on.

“The refueling aircraft that are being purchased, along with the procurement of an F-35 squadron, helicopters, submarines and advanced munitions and will enable the IDF to meet its security challenges both near and far. This is yet another testament to the powerful alliance and strategic ties between the defense establishments and governments of Israel and the United States,” said the Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz.

Aggression against Tehran

The Israelis perceive the tankers as a necessity to aggress against Iran, which is on the verge of signing a new version of the nuclear deal with the United States. "Israel" dreads the deal to be struck, thus ramping up its military arsenal.

Chief of the Israeli Security Forces, Aviv Kochavi, said that the rekindling of the 2015 nuclear deal is a dangerous move, suggesting that Iran must be bombed, 'if necessary', to put its nuclear program to a halt.

Re'em planes, which were once civilian airliners, became refuelers and transport aircraft for the aviation forces. The number of planes in the fleet is undisclosed.

The latest KC-46 tankers have a flight range of 11,830 km, and can deliver up to 5,500 liters of fuel per minute through its 17-meter-long fly-by-wire boom. The tanker could also attach external fuel pods on wings to refuel three jets at the same time, all within 3-4 minutes.

The plane, furthermore, features Infrared countermeasures, Radio Frequency warnings, threat avoidance systems, and NVIS (Night Vision Imaging System) lighting which gives the vehicle the ability to land in total darkness.

Mossad chief to meet US officials on Iranian nuclear deal in September

The head of "Israel's" Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, will visit the United States in early September for talks on the possible revival of the Iran nuclear deal.

The announced visit is the latest in the Israeli occupation's attempts to sway Western powers from an agreement to return to the landmark 2015 deal with Tehran.

Mossad chief David Barnea will "be visiting Washington in a week to participate in closed door meetings in Congress on the Iran deal," a senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity, without providing further details.

According to the Times of Israel, "Barnea will be the third senior Israeli official to visit Washington in recent days to discuss the Iran deal," after Security Minister Benny Gantz and National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata.

Last week, Barnea told reporters that the Iranian nuclear deal was “very bad for Israel” and “based on lies."

Following the remarks, Israeli media reported that Lapid's office was surprised by Barnea's criticism of US President Joe Biden's administration and demanded clarification.

According to the Israeli news website Walla, Barnea is the side pushing for the most extreme line on the Iranian nuclear deal within the Israeli occupation government.