Puppet MastersS


Magnify

SpaceX is reportedly building hundreds of spy satellites for the US government

Space X
© Joel Kowsky / NASA / APAccording to Reuters, SpaceX is developing a 'Starshield' swarm for the DoD's National Reconnaissance Office.
SpaceX has been contracted by the Department of Defense's National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to build a network of hundreds of low-orbiting spy satellites capable of operating as a swarm and tracking targets on the ground, according to Reuters. The Reuters report, which cites five sources with knowledge of the program, builds on earlier reporting by The Wall Street Journal that revealed SpaceX had signed a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with an unnamed agency.

This network, called Starshield, would reportedly be able to gather continuous imagery all over Earth for US intelligence, using a mix of large imaging satellites to collect data and relay satellites to transmit information. According to one source who spoke to Reuters, it has the potential to make it so "no one can hide."


Comment: Whilst it certainly isn't great news (if true), the US has demonstrated time and again that it is no longer capable of following through on such projects. Furthermore, it's likely that, at least abroad, it will be neutralised in one way or another: 'Secret Russian electronic warfare weapon disrupting GPS of ships & jets' claims Estonia's military chief, amid NATO wargames


Neither SpaceX nor the NRO directly confirmed the company's involvement in the project, but an NRO spokesperson told Reuters, "The National Reconnaissance Office is developing the most capable, diverse, and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen."

Comment: It seems a little odd that Musk, who can be highly critical of the US and the trajectory it's currently on, would enter into such an agreement.


Light Saber

Orban: EU leadership should 'start trembling, Brussels is not the first empire that has set its eyes on Hungary. It's time to rise up!'

orban
© AFP / Attila KisbenedekHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech in Budapest.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that he and his supporters are ready to march on Brussels to defend their country's sovereignty within the EU.

Orban gave the warning on Friday in a fiery speech dedicated to an anniversary of Hungary's unsuccessful revolution of 1848 against the rule of the Austrian Empire. "Brussels is not the first empire that has set its eyes on Hungary," he stressed.

The conservative prime minister told a crowd of around a thousand of his supporters that he's ready to do everything to protect Hungary from what he described as attempts by the EU to "force" the country into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to make it accept migrants, and to "re-educate" its children by imposing an LGBTQ agenda on them.

Comment: Earlier this month: Orbán to Hungary's ambassadors: A new world order is emerging


Broom

Niger cuts military agreement with US who now must leave, follows recent expulsion of France's military

niger
© CopyrightUS, Niger base camp 2018: Niger's government announces breaking off "with immediate effect" its military cooperation agreement with the United States.
The Nigerien government has opted to end its military agreement with the United States, which permitted US troops to stay within the African nation's borders, according to Reuters, citing Amadou Abdramane, spokesperson for Niger's military transitional government.

The declaration comes after an important US delegation embarked on a visit to Niger on March 13. The delegation's mission was to engage in vital discussions, building on previous talks, with Nigerien leaders of the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP).

Comment: A few reports on the situation:



See also: March 16: Internet outage hits several African countries as multiple major undersea cables 'fail'


Penis Pump

And Israel? Macron to propose 'Olympic ceasefire' for Ukraine conflict

Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will propose a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during the Summer Olympic Games, set to take place in Paris between July 26 and August 11.

In an interview with Ukrainian media on Saturday, Macron was asked whether France, as the host of the games this year, will follow tradition and seek "a ceasefire during the Olympics." The journalist was apparently referring to the Olympic Truce, a period of conflict cessation which historically began seven days before the games and ended seven days after so that the athletes could safely travel to and from the Olympics.

"It will be requested," the French leader responded.

"The rule of the host country is to move in step with the Olympic movement," the French leader said when asked about his views on the situation in which Russian athletes are allowed to participate under a neutral flag.

"This is a message of peace. We will also follow the decision of the Olympic Committee," he added.


Comment: Will Israeli athletes also be forced to attend under a neutral flag or be banned altogether by the IOC?


Comment: The French president would likely want to buy some time so that the Western partners have more time to rearm Ukraine and train yet another army. That wish for a ceasefire is unlikely to be granted by Russia.

One wonders why the French president wasn't asked about a ceasefire in Israel.

Macron has in the recent weeks done much to get some time in the limelight, but it hasn't quite worked out and he might have shown himself to be delusional if not also untrustworthy. See also:


Star of David

Israeli PM approves Rafah operation plan

NetGaz
© Sean Gallup/Getty Images/AFP/KJNIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu • Palestinians in wartorn Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF is prepared to conduct the attack and evacuate the civilian population...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the latest truce and prisoner-exchange proposal by Hamas and has approved an IDF plan to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Israeli media reported on Friday.

"The IDF is prepared for the operation and to evacuate the [civilian] population," the PM's office said in a statement, as cited by the Times of Israel.

Earlier in the day, Hamas announced on social media that it had presented its "vision" of a prisoner swap with Israel to Qatari and Egyptian mediators and was looking towards a ceasefire agreement which would involve the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from Gaza.

Comment: Netanyahu rebukes the proposal; sticks to plan:
"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu approved Friday plans for a military operation in Rafah, and the army is operationally preparing for it and for the evacuation of residents," Netanyahu's office said in a statement without providing further details.


Following the Israeli Cabinet's deliberation on Hamas' ceasefire proposal, Tel Aviv has announced sending a delegation to Doha, Qatar's capital, to speak with officials as the kingdom is serving as intermediaries.
All or nothing: Mankind has learned very little. Send in the apes.


No Entry

'Neo-Nazi Kiev regime' tried to disrupt Russian elections - Putin

Putin
© Mikhail Metzel/SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin on videolink with members of Russian Security Council • February 15, 2024
Russia's president has vowed retaliation for the ongoing Ukrainian attacks on border regions...

The continuing Ukrainian incursions into and strikes on Russia's border regions are primarily aimed at disrupting the ongoing election in the country, President Vladimir Putin has said.

The president made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with permanent members of the Russian National Security Council. Putin condemned the efforts made by Kiev to disrupt the ongoing election, vowing retaliation for the attacks.

In order to disrupt the voting process and intimidate people, at least in the regions bordering Ukraine, the Kiev neo-Nazi regime has conceived and is trying to carry out a series of "demonstrative criminal armed actions," Putin stated.

The effort includes continuous indiscriminate drone and artillery strikes, as well as a concentrated effort to breach the country's border, launched by Ukrainian forces earlier this week, the president explained, describing Kiev's actions as "senseless from the military, and criminal from a humanitarian standpoint."

Brick Wall

This is why EU diplomacy is practically dysfunctional

meeting
© Virginia Mayo/APEuropean Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, third left in a meeting of EU foreign ministers
European Council • Brussels • Monday, Nov. 13, 2023
The Western European bloc's representatives no longer try to understand those who disagree with them, instead they deliver lectures dripping with arrogance...

A recent incident in which a group of ambassadors from EU states refused to attend a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov perfectly encapsulates the state of European diplomatic culture today. The reason is simple - over the past 30 years, the need to be diplomatic in the traditional sense of the word has almost disappeared.

Despite the fact that the envoys of EU countries in Moscow are relatively well-educated and not stupid, these individual peculiarities no longer count for much. Everything is determined by their dogmatic world view, which has become the opposite of what is necessary for civilized relations between states.

Those observers who question why in today's world each EU state needs its own separate ambassador in Moscow have merit in their arguments. After all, the envoys really do not decide anything and cannot fulfill their duties in the traditional accepted way. It would be much easier for everyone if these people - both great and not so great - would return to their countries for a while.

Comment: This interesting intellectual analysis frameworks the increasing divide between the West and Russia.


Arrow Up

Tehran is getting better infrastructure than New York - thanks to China

train
© Vladimir Grigorev/Getty Images
As Beijing helps revamp the Iranian capital's metro system, a bigger picture of counter-hegemony takes shape...

Last week, Masoud Dorosti, the managing director of Tehran's bustling metro system, dropped a bombshell: After seven years of intense negotiations, the Iranian capital is gearing up to welcome a whopping 791 sleek metro trains from China. It's a move set to transform the city's transit scene, injecting new life into a system that hasn't seen a serious upgrade in half a decade.

But that's not all. Tehran's mayor, Alireza Zakani, threw in another ace from his sleeve last month, unveiling a flurry of contracts inked with Chinese giants aimed at giving the city's infrastructure a serious facelift. From major transportation projects to ambitious construction ventures, China's fingerprints may soon be all over Tehran's urban landscape. Heck, they're even rolling up their sleeves to erect housing units in this sprawling metropolis of nearly 9 million souls.

For anyone who's ever wandered the bustling streets of China's megacities, the thought of Tehran sporting a metro system rivaling any of China's tier-one cities isn't just a pipe dream; it's a tantalizing glimpse into the future. With its sleek trains zipping through immaculate stations, China's urban rail network sets the gold standard for public transportation worldwide. Could Tehran, a city boxed in by international sanctions, really outshine the likes of New York City's aging subway system?

Well, that wouldn't actually be that hard - but it's worth rewinding a bit.

Comment: While the West is (literally) derailing track, China's train has left the station.


Star of David

Netanyahu green-lights Rafah ground invasion, despite Biden opposition

netanyahu
© GPO/ReutersIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Israeli Defense Force is reportedly planning a civilian evacuation before the invasion

Israel will commence an invasion into the Gaza city of Rafah, despite protests from the United States and other international powers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced approval of the operation via his office on Friday. The Israeli Defense Force will invade the city in southern Gaza as part of its larger military operations in the region.

The operation will reportedly include an evacuation of civilians, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The Prime Minister's office also announced that an Israeli delegation would leave for Doha to continue negotiations for the release of hostages.

The security cabinet must first arrive at a comprehensive position on the pressing issue.

Comment: Well it's pretty clear who's actually in charge here. But Israel may not get everything its own way. They may be planning a "civilian evacuation", but to where? Egypt and Jordan have both categorically said they would not receive any Palestinians forced out by the IDF.


Light Saber

Best of the Web: Houthis go hypersonic? How Ansar Allah's advance in missile tech could scupper US warmongering in the Middle East

Ansar Allah  yemen houthi
© Ansar Allah Media officeHouthi naval missiles on parade in Sanaa, September 2023.
A military source close to Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement has informed Sputnik that the militia has carried out a successful test flight of a hypersonic missile and is preparing to add it into its arsenal. Sputnik asked a leading Russian military observer about the development's strategic implications.

Sputnik's source has indicated that the new Houthi missile can accelerate to speeds up to Mach 8 (nearly 10,000 km per hour), and that it is powered by a solid fuel engine - which typically reduces launch preparation time dramatically and eases transport.

Comment: It's unlikely to thwart the evil empire's presence there entirely, however it is probably going to make them reconsider their airstrikes on Yemen: